Research Guides: Canadian Art: British Columbian Art & Artists

About

This section provides information about art in British Columbia and artists who have worked in British Columbia, regardless of place of birth. Select resources, available through UBC Library and freely available online, are provided below.

The following list of archival collections are available for consultation in RBSC or University Archives. For background on using archival material in your research, see the research guide for Archival material.

Click on the collection title for more information or to see if a finding aid exists.

Gordon Adaskin fonds
(contains tapes of interviews with various artists)
Olive Allen Biller fonds
Anna Banana fonds
B.C. Binning fonds
Sam Black fonds
Ann Blades fonds
Harry Bullock-Webster fonds
Nan Cheney fonds
(includes subject files on other artists,
as well as correspondence with Emily Carr)
Douglas Coupland fonds
Olea Davis fonds
Intermedia Press fonds
Intermedia Society fonds

Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery Archives at UBC

With a focus on the Canadian and British Columbian avant-garde, Vancouver’s post-war art history, and emerging local artists, the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery holds one of the largest public collections of art in the province.

The Belkin’s archival holdings include: papers of artists, art historians, and collectors; textual, photographic, and visual records; sound and moving image records (audio, video tape, and film), and objects. To search the database or schedule a visit, see the website.

Resources on BC Artists

British Columbia Artists
Created and maintained by artist, writer, and art historian Gary Sim. Provides: "An extensive digital finding aid to reference information on more than 19,300 artists who worked or are working in British Columbia, from the 1700s to the present day."
BC Artist Files at the Vancouver Public Library
The VPL Central Library maintains paper files with clippings and ephemera on BC art and artists, searchable by: Artist Name, Art Galleries, and Indigenous Artists. The files are part of Special Collections, and are reference items that can only be accessed onsite.
Galleries and Artist-Run Spaces in Vancouver
An annotated list of Vancouver-based galleries and artist-run spaces, maintained by Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
ARCLines
An ongoing project documenting the origins of artist-run centres in British Columbia. Edited by Allison Collins, ARCLines focuses on archival images, original mandates, history of founding artists and other materials pertinent to the inception of local artist-run activity.
BC Artscape Sun Wah Directory
A directory of the 70+ tenants who occupy and work in this Vancouver-based community arts hub. "Their practices and disciplines range widely from the arts, culture, heritage, and education, to social justice and sustainability." -- BC Artscape Sun Wah