Arts and Culture

Add These 7 Artists to Your Eastside Culture Crawl Game-Plan

By Stacey McLachlan /

You can’t see all 500 artists on the Eastside Culture Crawl (believe us, we’ve tried) so we’ve attempted to narrow it down.

In a season of wind storms and downpours, the Eastside Culture Crawl is one of the only things that can get us to leave the house this time of year—after all, when 500-plus artists open their studio doors to you, it’s only polite to step inside. This year’s visual arts festival runs over four days, but that’s still not enough time to see everything, so prioritization is key: pick a few favourites, then squeeze in some pitstops along the way if you can. Need help narrowing down the list? We’ve got a few suggestions.

1. Sholto Design Studio

Furniture designer Sholto Scruton was one of Western Living‘s Designers of the Year back in 2015, and his eco-friendly wood designs continue to be beautiful investment pieces. 446 Union Street

2. Kate Macdonald

Macdonald’s latest collection of digital collages are a mashup of surprising images. Her paintings focus in on nature, too, with her new collection of bird studies. 1895 Powell St.

3. Caitlin Ffrench

The painter (and textile artist) creates natural dyes and drawing inks from wildcrafted pigments sourced from the forest, as well as from the alleyways of East Van. 512 Victoria Dr.

4. Daniel de Regt

His photos capture unremarkable urban views—a row of storage containers, doorways, cranes—and present the everyday in a striking new light. 1000 Parker St.

5. Em’Say

These minimalist concrete planters feature raw edges and accents of gold and white—which pop perfectly against bright green succulents. Octopus Studios, 393 Powell St.

6. Maria Heo

The textile artist’s handmade weavings incorporate a variety of surprising materials, including twigs and golden floss. 1000 Parker St.

7. Debbie Lelievre

The mixed-media artist and illustrator sketches quirky animals and big-eyed “queens” with plenty of personality. Bonus: there are actually seven artists working in this new collective (working in upholstery, mixed media, encaustic paintings and more), so you can check out even more work while you’re there. 580 Art Collective, 580 Clark DriveThe Eastside Culture Crawl runs November 16-19. For hours and a map of participating studios, check out culturecrawl.ca

What’s on your must-see list for this year’s Culture Crawl? Let us know in the comments below!