In March of 2020, the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Outsiders and Others signed on the dotted line bringing art and culture to the Vancouver community when no one else was. While everyone was shutting down, they were opening up.

As a window-based gallery, they could “open the doors” without actually opening them. In one of the strangest years of our lives, they were able to present a new exhibition in their gallery every month. Outsiders and Others intends to do the same for years to come.

Providing a real-world opportunity to view art during the pandemic is not the only void filled by the gallery. Outsiders and Others is also the first gallery in Vancouver dedicated to showcasing Outsider art. So far, things are off to a good start, with every show leading to artwork sales and garnering significant press.

“There’s void that needs to be filled [in Vancouver] and I’m hopefully going to be able to help with that.”

– Yuri Arajs, Director, Outsiders and Others

Megaphone Magazine, Sept 2020 Issue

This special 1st Anniversary Show! features artists from every Outsiders and Others exhibition over the past year. Back to help celebrate are BC artists Valerie Arntzen, Carl Baird, Lisa Maria Bellano, Bryan Cathcart, Andrew Cathers, Deborah Leigh, John Procter, Seema Shah, and L.J.Throstle, as well as Minnesota artist Amy Rice and Wisconsin artist Keegan Wenkman. The show will also feature posters from all the past exhibitions.

Visitors can stop by the gallery any time, day or night (thanks to 24-hour lighting), for a COVID-safe window viewing experience of the entire exhibition. A QR code can be scanned by phone to pull up all the information needed for a self-guided tour. Appointments can also be made to visit inside the gallery.

Outsiders and Others Art Society is a non-profit arts society with a focus on bringing non-traditional artists to the forefront. This includes outsider, folk, self-taught, visionary, intuitive, and artists with disabilities.

More details here.