Artists in Our Midst is a collective of artists from the communities of West Point Grey, Kitsilano and Dunbar/Kerrisdale, on the west side of Vancouver, B.C. It is a grassroots organization run by the participating artists. It is the first of such collectives in Vancouver, officially becoming a nonprofit Society in 2009.

Every spring, Artists in Our Midst hosts an open studio tour for the public. The event begins with a much anticipated Opening Night Preview of art works by participating artists, typically followed by 2 days of Open Studios, during which the public is invited to visit individual artists at their studios. This is a very popular. well attended community event. It's a wonderful opportunity to meet local artists and other art patrons.

History

Celebrating 18 Years of West Side Artists in the Community

While living in Paris Pnina Granier was inspired by le Génie de la Bastille area, wherein, each spring, artists in the area open their studio doors to the public. So inspired by this event, she worked with Ann Adams to design a similar opportunity in her community in Vancouver.

Artists in our Midst (AIOM) has come a long way, when we look back on 18 years of growth: we have gathered weight and momentum in scope, scale and quality; we have finetuned the organization while benefitting the lives of artists, their friends and neighbours in countless ways.

It started straightforward, when at the end of January 1993, artists Anne Adams and Pnina Granirer put out a call to the artists living in the Point Grey area for participation in a weekend of open studios. Since then, over 70 artists each year have shared their art with their neighbours, thus creating a sense of community and artistic involvement. Over the years, the West Side event extended so much that we had to divide it into three Westside regions over three weekends. Elsewhere in the city, artist groups mimicked the event with much success.

After Anne sadly succumbed to a neurological disease in 2003, Pnina single-handedly guided AIOM into the yearly event: an opening night in a local community centre followed by a weekend of open studios: an experience to remember for its wonderful sense of community, the beautiful springtime flowering gardens, of connecting with artists in their own environment. Local merchants enthusiastically incorporated art works in their window displays and donated generously. Local media reported widely, contributing to the prominence of the event. A new partnership with  Lord Byng Secondary School formed a fruitful community link, as several AIOM participants have been invited to give artist talks as part of the school’s Fine Arts Program’s curriculum. The school has staged various local artist shows in its lofty art gallery.

In 2008, after 15 years, the formula was due for a reiteration. We decided to share our responsibilities and ensure our future by forming a society. We took measures for a transparent selection process toward more professional artists and enlarged our territory by allowing artists from all Westside regions to participate, a decision reflected in a gesture to move the opening night to the Roundhouse, all with the vision of becoming the West Side choice for the arts community.

As a result, AIOM is rapidly developing into a year-round artist organization that organizes, facilitates and promotes art events, presents all member artists on its website and regular features with indepth interviews. This organization is all about sharing resources, talent and good work, as well as giving something back to the neighbourhood. We are extremely thankful for the generous support of all the merchants who display our works of art in their windows, thus transforming our streets into art galleries. We could not do it without our local media to advertize our events. Over the years we have developed a long list of sponsors, supporters and volunteers who generously contribute to the success of this event and are true patrons of the arts. This support has also helped to build a West Side community that appreciates the arts, a community that will continue to grow deeper and wider.