Comox Valley Art Gallery

10/14/2026

Make tonight a movie night! The film 'At the Place of Ghosts (Sk+te’kmujue’katik)' is screening at 5pm tonight at Landmark Cinemas (Courtenay) as part of the CVAG Film Series.

You can purchase tickets in advance online or at the theatre ($20 cash), if seats remain available.

Learn more: https://www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com/events/film-screening-at-the-place-of-ghosts-sktekmujuekatik/.

10/13/2026

CVAG's gift shop has new books available!

The educational books 'Memories of a Métis Kohkum' and 'The Dancing Moccasins (and other Memories of a Métis Cree Kohkum)' were written and illustrated by children's author Elder Flora Smigel (Morin).

'Kitty Girl: A Kitty Girl: A Contemporary Tale' is a storybook by artist Tricia Wasney with illustrations by Doug Melnyk.

These books are a welcome addition, complimenting the two exhibitions presented at the gallery this autumn by Comox Valley MIKI'SIW Métis Association and Tricia Wasney.

10/12/2026

Congratulations to Paul Wong for his appointment as the first Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate!

We were honoured to host Paul last spring when he spoke at the opening of 'Pas-à-pas; not intent on arriving'.

Read the press release: https://lop.parl.ca/About/Parliament/artist/pdfs/english/Press-Release-Parliamentary-Visual-Artist-Laureate-EN.pdf.

Today, the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons announced the appointment of Paul Wong as the first Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate.

Paul Wong is an award-winning multimedia artist whose career spans over 50 years.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/B3x050ZUV2u

10/12/2026

To celebrate the spooky season, we're screening the thriller 'At the Place of Ghosts (Sk+te’kmujue’katik)' as part of the CVAG Film Series at 5pm this Wednesday, October 14, at Landmark Cinemas (Courtenay).

Blending Indigenous storytelling with supernatural suspense, the film is a meditative exploration of family, identity, and healing, where every step into the forest becomes a step toward self-discovery and spiritual reckoning.

Watch the film trailer: https://youtu.be/wzi6bbP041U?si=OOKyD9DzNOhXtUUF.

Tickets are still available! Purchase online: https://cvag.tickit.ca/events/37107-cvag-film-series-autumn-2026.

Siblings Mise’l and Antle, close confidants as children, have drift...

10/11/2026

The CVAG Rotating Artist Wall spotlights artists with work for sale in the gallery's gift shop, Shop⋮Made. On the wall this autumn is work by Bev Byerley!

Bev Byerley is a passionate landscape painter who loves the the west coast landscape. For the last few years, Bev's energy has been focused on sketching and painting the scenic places where she walks and bikes near her home in the Comox Valley.

"Her commitment to her individuality through the years has resulted in Bev developing a style uniquely her own." - Sharon Urdahl (artist/writer)

Artist's website: https://www.bevbyerley.com/.

10/10/2026

Watch the 'At the Place of Ghosts (Sk+te’kmujue’katik)' next Wednesday, October 14, at 5pm, as part of the CVAG Film Series at Landmark Cinemas (Courtenay).

In the film, siblings Mise’l and Antle, close confidants as children, have drifted apart as adults. When a malevolent spirit begins tormenting them, the siblings are forced to reunite and journey into Sk+te’kmujue’katik (the Place of Ghosts), a primordial forest that exists outside of time, to confront their violent upbringing.

Purchase tickets in advance online: https://www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com/events/film-screening-at-the-place-of-ghosts-sktekmujuekatik/.

10/10/2026

'Lii moo di nutr paraantii-inaan kayaash ooshchi | The Words of Our Ancestors' is an arts-based exhibition that is part of the 2026 Michif Language Revitalization Project instigated and organized by Comox Valley MIKI'SIW Métis Association.

Cultural objects and material heritage serve as tangible anchors for Michif language revitalization programs by linking vocabulary, storytelling, and identity. Language programs use traditional items — such as the Métis Sash, beadwork, drums, and moccasins to teach descriptive words, verbs and nouns. Handling cultural items while speaking or singing in Michif helps learners connect historical practices with ancestral voices. Teaching the names of ceremonial objects or daily tools ensures that language learners absorb the worldview and values embedded in Métis heritage rather than just vocabulary.

The exhibition is on view at the Comox Valley Art Gallery until November 7. Learn more: https://www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com/exhibitions/lii-moo-di-nutr-paraantii-inaan-kayaash-ooshchi-the-words-of-our-ancestors/.

Image credit: Gabriella Wong Hernandez.

10/09/2026

Save the date!

The Comox Valley Art Gallery is excited to celebrate the work of local makers through our annual Winter Art Faire, running December 4 - 24, 2026.

This year, the CVAG team has curated a lineup of over thirty-five artists and creatives.

Come meet and support them during the free opening event on Friday, December 4, from 5 - 8pm. The evening’s festivities will include a Make Art table, bannock, marshmallows, hot apple c***r and more, along with fire pits and seating outside.

Learn more: https://www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com/events/winter-art-faire-2026-opening-celebration.

10/04/2026

Our heartfelt congratulations to Karver Everson, who has created a new pole for the Town of Comox.

At CVAG, we have watched Karver’s developing career since he was a youth in our Youth Printmaking Workshop. He is one of the carvers of the two poles in front of the gallery. And he is former member of our Board of Directors. It is such a joy to see his new work in such a prominent location!

Listen to Karver speak about the new Comox Avenue/Glacier View roundabout pole: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18QQGu1Q4P/.

10/03/2026

We are so honoured to have these Traditional Welcome Poles on the CVAG Plaza.

The poles are an integral part of our multi-year program 'Public Place : Sacred Space' and are closely linked to the Place Naming project, the Traditional Indigenous Garden, and Andy Everson's public artwork 'Crossroads'.

Learn more: https://www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com/exhibitions/public-place-sacred-space/.

If you've walked past the Comox Valley Art Gallery at the corner of 6th Street and Duncan Avenue, you've likely seen the Traditional Welcome Poles. But do you know their story? 🌿

The two Welcome Poles standing on the gallery plaza were created and installed in 2018 by Randy Frank and Karver Everson, under the mentorship and training of master carver Calvin Hunt. They are part of The Guardian Pole Project, an initiative of the K'ómoks Nation that will see 20 or more poles created and installed over a ten year period across the traditional K'ómoks territory.

The poles identify the Unceded Traditional Territory of the K'ómoks people, which spans from the southern Great Bear Rainforest south to Denman and Hornby Islands. In their form and design, they signify the bounty of the land and carry the stories, traditions, and cultural practices of the K'ómoks people.

We are proud that Downtown Courtenay is a place where K'ómoks culture, stories, and traditions are celebrated and shared with all who walk these streets.

📍 Comox Valley Art Gallery — 6th Street & Duncan Avenue, Downtown Courtenay