Artists for Kids & Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art

Home
Canada
North Vancouver, BC
Artists for Kids & Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art

Call Website

Curating and delivering exceptional art education at the Gordon Smith Gallery in partnership with the Gordon and Marion Smith Foundation.

The Gordon Smith Gallery Canadian Art is a space where Artists for Kids & the Smith Foundation collaborate to showcase innovative and world-class exhibitions of contemporary Canadian art and build an art education legacy for the children of B.C. Essential to all of our exhibitions is our unique approach to curation and programming. We provide spaces for contemporary Canadian art to engage, amaze, and inspire our communities. We develop and deliver exceptional programming for all our major exhibitions, to connect our audience with the art, beyond the exhibition. Programming includes panel discussions, artist talks, workshops and performances, family days (every Saturday), and docent tours. We invite you to visit often.

10/01/2026

Thank you for joining us in celebrating the opening of the fall exhibition of 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 on Friday September 25, curated by Amelia Epp. Our heartfelt thanks to Xwalacktun for his welcome song to mark the start of the evening.

The opening also launched the 2026 Fall Limited Edition Portfolio. The sale of each limited edition directly funds visual art programming and connection to Canadian art and artists for young people, art educators and artists. With these funds, camps, gallery programs, and residencies are supported via scholarships and bursaries, alongside professional development and resources for art educators. Visit the link in our bio to purchase or learn more about these limited editions. Works by Gordon Smith and Arnold Shives are featured with our brand new additions of 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘎𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 by Marlene Yuen and 𝘊𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘳 by Amelia Butcher.

𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 includes works from several artists including Kenojuak Ashevak, Sara-Jeanne Bourget, Victor Cicansky, Douglas Coupland, Christos Dikeakos, Stan Douglas, Sylvan Hamburger, Sesemiya, Roz Marshall, Michelle Sound, Brendan Tang, Marlene Yuen, Gu Xiong, Robert Young, the T&T Collective (Tyler Brett and Tony Romano), the Vancouver School Collective, Samuel Roy-Bois, Jack Shadbolt, and Gordon Smith. Perspectives from elementary and secondary students from the North Vancouver and Vancouver School Districts are also featured through linocut prints and collaborative collections presented in the Mezzanine Gallery. Now on view until February 20, 2027.

This exhibition is presented by Artists For Kids and the Gordon Smith Gallery in partnership with Gordon and Marion Smith Foundation and North Vancouver School District, and supported by The Tuey Charitable Foundation, The Christopher Foundation and North Vancouver Recreation and Culture Commission.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Event images: Rachel Topham Photography

09/30/2026

On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, we honour the children who never returned home, Survivors of residential schools, and the families and communities who continue to carry their stories.

At the Gordon Smith Gallery, Artists for Kids and the Gordon and Marion Smith Foundation, we believe art can be a place for listening, reflection, learning, and relationship. We are grateful to gather on the traditional territories of the Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and we recognize that reconciliation is not the work of one day. It is an ongoing commitment to truth, respect, relationship, and action.

Every Child Matters.

09/22/2026

Along with our Fall exhibition opening this week, we are pleased to announce that the Artists for Kids' 2026 Fall Portfolio will be available for acquisition on Friday, September 25 at 12:00 PM (PT). This portfolio features limited edition works by prominent Canadian artists Gordon Smith, Amelia Butcher, Marlene Yuen, and Arnold Shives. Stay tuned for more details about each edition and the stories behind them.

Each limited edition purchase funds educational programs, artist residencies, art camps, scholarships, bursaries, and future acquisitions for Artists for Kids and the Gordon Smith Gallery Permanent Collection, directly supporting the future of children and youth.

Visit the link in our bio to browse the portfolio and to purchase previous seasonal portfolio works.

Photo by Rachel Topham Rachel Topham Photography Ltd.

09/21/2026

Exhibition Opening
Friday, September 25, 2026
6 PM to 8 PM
Welcome Ceremony at 7 PM

Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art
2121 Lonsdale Ave, North Vancouver, BC

Please join us for an evening of art, conversation, and community as we celebrate the opening of our Fall exhibition, '𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳' at the Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art.

'𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳' explores acts of collecting as both artistic process and everyday ritual. From the gathering of people in shared spaces to the sorting of materials such as seeds, stones, and fabric scraps, the exhibition presents work that considers how meaning, sustenance, and connection are assembled through creative and communal acts.

'𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳' brings together artworks from the Artists for Kids and Gordon Smith Gallery Permanent Collection alongside contributions from contemporary Canadian artists.
Works from elementary and secondary students from the North Vancouver and Vancouver School Districts are also featured through linocut prints and collaborative collections presented in the Mezzanine Gallery.

Curated by Amelia Epp, this exhibition is presented by Artists For Kids in partnership with The Gordon and Marion Smith Foundation for Young Artists, and supported by North Vancouver School District #44 and North Vancouver Recreation & Culture Commission, as well as additional support from The Tuey Charitable Foundation and The Christopher Foundation.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts | Conseil des arts du Canada.

Pictured work:
Samuel Roy-Bois, 𝘔𝘺 𝘚𝘶𝘯, 2024
Wood, paint, object.
Photo by Michael Love

09/17/2026

🎨📣Registration for After School Art Classes is now OPEN!

Led by BC certified art specialist teachers and assisted by secondary art students, our classes provide the opportunity to build skills and foster creative growth within the visual arts. Students will have the opportunity to expand their artistic abilities in a multitude of different mediums, including painting, felting, printmaking, and sculpting.

Classes vary in duration, price, and medium. All art materials are included in the price of the program.

Visit artistsforkids.ca or the link in our bio to view and sign up for classes.

09/16/2026

We invite you to join us for the opening reception of “𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳” at the Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art on Friday, September 25th at 6 PM.

𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 explores acts of collecting as both artistic process and everyday ritual. From the gathering of people in shared spaces to the sorting of materials such as seeds, stones, and fabric scraps, the exhibition presents work about assembling meaning, sustenance, and connection through creative and communal acts.  

The works of contemporary Canadian artists Sara-Jeanne Bourget, Sylvan Hamburger, Sesemiya, Michelle Sound, Brendan Tang, and Marlene Yuen are shown alongside works from the Artists for Kids and Gordon Smith Gallery Permanent Collection. These artists include Kenojuak Ashevak, T & T Collective (Tyler Brett & Tony Romano), Victor Cicansky, Douglas Coupland, Christos Dikeakos, Stan Douglas, Carl Heywood, Roz Marshall, Samuel Roy-Bois, Jack Shadbolt, Gordon Smith, Gu Xiong, Robert Young, and Vancouver School Collective. The perspectives of elementary and secondary student artists from across the Lower Mainland are featured through linocut prints and collaborative collections exhibited in the Mezzanine Gallery.

Curated by Amelia Epp

This exhibition is presented by Artists For Kids in partnership with The Gordon and Marion Smith Foundation for Young Artists, and supported by North Vancouver School District and North Vancouver Recreation & Culture, as well as additional support from The Tuey Charitable Foundation and The Christopher Foundation.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Pictured work:
Samuel Roy-Bois, 𝘔𝘺 𝘚𝘶𝘯, 2024
Wood, paint, object.
Photo by Michael Love.

09/10/2026

Welcome back to a new school year at Artists For Kids and the North Vancouver School District!

Registration for our Fall 2026 After School Art Classes opens next Thursday, September 17 at 12 PM.

Led by BC certified art specialist teachers and assisted by secondary art students, our classes enable participants to build skills and foster creative growth within the visual arts. Students will have the opportunity to expand their artistic abilities in a multitude of different mediums, including pottery, drawing, painting, printmaking and felting.

08/12/2026

We are still buzzing from last month's Paradise Valley Summer School of Visual Art summer camp featuring our amazing Artist in Residence Geoffrey Farmer!
Young artists ages 9 - 15 spent their week at the picturesque setting of Paradise Valley. The students received in-depth instruction in collage, drawing, painting, and printmaking practices from Geoffrey Farmer and BC trained Art educators and art assistants. The group created an impressive collection of experiments and works inspired by observations, sounds, sketches, stories, and more. Outdoor recreation time was also paired with new friendships, inspiration, and many cherished moments throughout the week.
Thank you to Geoffrey Farmer, the art teachers, art assistants, camp counselors, the team at Cheakamus Centre, our supporters, and everyone else involved in making this studio program and camp happen for its 31st year!! ☀️☀️

Photos by Khim Mata Hipol

06/18/2026

More photos from our Artist In Residence Workshop with Rebecca Bair last month. We are so grateful for her expertise and dedication to making the two-day workshop such a success. Students had the amazing opportunity to learn the photographic process of cyanotypes, as well as the principles and elements of art and design.

Artists For Kids' Artist In Residence Program brings together artists, students and teachers, providing full-day skill-specific training that gives nominated students the rare opportunity to immerse themselves in creativity and art making, closely mentored by a professional artist.

Artist: Becky

Photos by Khim Mata Hipol Khim Mata Hipol

06/15/2026

Russna Kaur's 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮 (2026) emerged from a three year collaboration with printmaker Jillian Ross, by a relationship grounded in intentional mentorship sustained through conversation, experimentation, and trust.

This edition extends the language of Kaur’s paintings through an eleven colour, multi plate photopolymer process, chine collé, intricate cut paper components and hand drawn marks by Kaur. Inspired by a cluster of dry, tangled tree roots that the artist encountered during a residency, the edition echoes her interest in layered surfaces, shifting structures, and the ways identity and memory hide and reveal themselves over time. Kaur’s layered material and method become a metaphor for lived experience and the accumulation of generational knowledge, memories, and unseen structures that shape and inform us.

This limited edition is available through our website shop at gordonsmithgallery.com and the link in the bio. Learn more about this story.

Purchasing a limited edition print by renown Canadian artists funds our educational programs, artist residencies, art camps, scholarships, bursaries and future acquisitions for Artists For Kids and the Gordon Smith Gallery Permanent Collection, directly supporting the future of children and youth.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮, 2026
Eleven colour, multi-plate photopolymer, chine collé, drawing by the Artist, collaged papers
Edition of 45
13.5 x 13.5 in
$850 (unframed)
Signed and numbered

Artwork photograph by Rachel Topham Rachel Topham Photography Ltd.

Studio process photography: Courtesy of Jillian Ross Print (Jillian Ross Print) and Russna Kaur. (RUSSNA KAUR.)

Address

North Vancouver, BC

Telephone

+16049033798

Website

http://www.artistsforkids.ca/, https://linktr.ee/afk_smithgallery?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bi

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Artists for Kids & Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your museum to be the top-listed museum in North Vancouver?