Impact on Artists & the Cultural Ecosystem

A core part of our mission is ensuring that artists have fair, accessible, and professional platforms to share their work. We do not charge artists exhibition fees. Gallery 881 absorbs the full costs of presenting exhibitions—including space, installation, printed materials, curatorial labour, communications, and public engagement—all fully supported through our primary sponsor. This barrier-free model is increasingly rare in Vancouver and ensures artists can exhibit without undue financial burden.

We have helped artists secure well over $100,000 in successful grant funding, including a prestigious Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant. We regularly provide letters of support, mentorship, and guidance that directly contribute to artists’ professional growth and financial stability.

Through the sponsorship of PrintMaker Studio, we have supported key cultural institutions including serving as the Official Print Sponsor for the Capture Photography Festival, the Framing Sponsor for Access Gallery’s “After Hours” Art Auction Fundraiser, and contributing to initiatives connected to the Chinese Canadian Museum.

Our two-year exhibition partnership with Emily Carr University’s BFA/MFA programs has given emerging artists professional exposure, most recently through Photography as Pause, spotlighting seven rising lens-based artists.

Gallery 881 does not exist in isolation. We are part of a larger arts ecosystem—one that includes artists, educators, cultural workers, neighbouring small businesses, and partner institutions. By sustaining our operations, you support the livelihoods of the artists we exhibit, the art and cultural workers we employ (all paid a livable wage), the students we mentor, and the cultural institutions we collaborate with across Metro Vancouver.

Independent galleries like ours play a crucial connective role: nurturing emerging talent, strengthening community relationships, and preserving the cultural diversity and vitality that healthy cities depend on.

Socially Engaged Exhibitions & Vancouver’s Photographic Culture

Gallery 881 has presented exhibitions of profound social relevance, with projects that reflect the realities, histories, and challenges faced by our communities. We presented Jackie Dives’ exhibition Of Course This Hurts, a vital documentary project on the opioid crisis that highlights the emotional realities and systemic failures behind toxic drug deaths in British Columbia. We also presented The Tradeswomen Exhibition, celebrating the skill and visibility of women in the trades—an essential yet underrepresented sector.

At the same time, Gallery 881 is deeply committed to supporting Vancouver’s wide-ranging photographic culture, which holds an important place in Canada’s visual-arts history. Our exhibitions have included documentary, conceptual, and experimental lens-based practices, supporting both socially engaged projects and innovative artistic exploration. This breadth is central to our identity and critical to the cultural health of the city.

These exhibitions, whether socially engaged or artistically exploratory, are not only artistic achievements; they contribute directly to public discourse, cultural understanding, and civic engagement. They also make our neoughbourhood safer.

At a time when artists face increasing pressure to find free or affordable venues, and as many cultural spaces close or become inaccessible, Gallery 881 provides something essential: an equitable, barrier-free platform for lens-based art in all its forms. We do not charge exhibition fees for artists to rent the space. We are not pay-to-play.

Art is not a luxury. It strengthens communities, fosters empathy, documents our histories, and brings people together across cultures and generations. In a moment marked by economic uncertainty, social division, and widespread isolation, spaces like Gallery 881 play a crucial role in civic wellbeing.

This work is needed now more than ever.

A Cultural Anchor in Strathcona

Gallery 881 continues to energize Strathcona’s cultural corridor. Our partnerships with Strathcona Beer Company, Prototype Coffee, PhotoEd Magazine, Retro Modern Designs, and others strengthen the local creative economy, drive neighbourhood foot traffic, and build meaningful community connections. During our STICKY pop-up exhibition, we welcomed over 700 visitors in a single weekend, supporting neighbouring businesses and demonstrating the power of cultural activation in the area. We have been an active leader in the Vancouver Art Walk and have worked closely with the Strathcona Business Improvement Association to help build a vibrant, welcoming, and creatively energized neighbourhood.

Despite these efforts, Strathcona’s overall foot traffic is down 50% since before COVID, compounding the challenges for small businesses, cultural spaces, and the community at large. Gallery 881 remains one of the few spaces consistently drawing visitors back into the neighbourhood.

We also support youth arts access through contributions to Studio 101, a nonprofit providing children with opportunities to engage in creative learning. We host youth exhibitions, school groups, community mixers, and free workshops that ensure equitable access to arts education and cultural engagement for all ages.

Broader Economic Impact of Cultural Spaces

Cultural spaces like Gallery 881 contribute far beyond the arts alone. They are essential to the economic and social vitality of our city and country. In 2023, British Columbia’s tourism sector generated $22.1 billion in revenue, with cultural experiences playing a major role in attracting visitors. Across Canada, tourism contributed $41 billion to the national GDP in 2024, with direct visitor spending reaching $130 billion and a total economic footprint of $263 billion.

New national data reinforces the scale of this impact: according to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab, Canada’s arts and culture sector generated $65 billion in direct GDP in 2024—growing faster and creating more jobs per dollar than sectors such as oil and gas, manufacturing, or agriculture. The same report found that every $1 of federal investment in the arts produces $29 of economic activity, confirming an extraordinary return on investment alongside the social benefits the sector provides.

Cultural tourists remain among the highest-value visitors, consistently seeking museums, galleries, and arts experiences as part of their travel. As Canadian tourism continues to rise, the presence of accessible, independent cultural destinations like Gallery 881 is increasingly important. When cultural spaces disappear, cities lose not only artistic voices but also economic capacity, community cohesion, and tourism revenue.

Affordability Crisis & Economic Pressure

The affordability crisis in Vancouver has intensified the challenges faced by working people—including artists, arts workers, and the cultural spaces that support them. Independent galleries and studios are disappearing as rents continue to rise. The most significant expense for us is our rent: a $4,000 per month triple net lease, a substantial burden shouldered entirely by our small team and sponsors to keep exhibitions free for the public.

Yesterday, the City of Vancouver approved its 2026 budget, which includes a 12% cut to arts and culture funding. This reduction will have immediate and lasting consequences for the cultural sector, further weakening an already fragile ecosystem. For independent spaces like Gallery 881, who receive no municipal arts funding, the impact is especially acute, increasing our vulnerability and underscoring the urgency of community support.

This year’s broader economic uncertainty, including tariff impacts and rising costs across essential goods and services, has placed further pressure on small cultural organizations like ours These forces are not unique to us; they reflect a systemic cultural displacement affecting the entire arts sector. Without community support, many spaces like Gallery 881 will not survive the current economic climate.

We Need Your Support Now

Despite our impact, visibility, and community value, we now face financial pressures that threaten our ability to continue. To sustain our programming into 2026 and keep exhibitions free, we urgently need donations, investors, and strategic partners. To stabilize operations, we aim to raise $25,000 in community support and sponsorship by March 2026.

Ways to Support Gallery 881

1. Donations

One-time or recurring contributions that directly sustain free exhibitions, artist programming, and community events. See below.

2. Membership

An accessible way for community members to stay engaged while supporting the gallery’s long-term stability. Members receive benefits such as discounts on special editions, discounted workshops, and partner perks with local businesses including PrintMaker Studio, Strathcona Beer Company, Prototype Coffee, PhotoEd Magazine, Retro Modern Designs, and others committed to strengthening our creative community. Become a Member!

3. Angel Support & Major Contributions

Transformational support that helps stabilize operations, fund exhibitions, and support youth and emerging artists.

4. Purchasing Artwork

Buying artwork from Gallery 881 directly supports the exhibiting artists while helping sustain the gallery. Artwork sales are a vital revenue source that strengthens both artistic careers and the long-term health of the space. Visit our Viewing Room.

5. Naming Opportunities

Legacy naming options for exhibitions, special programs, film series, and community initiatives.

6. Corporate Sponsorships

Partnerships with businesses committed to arts and culture, recognized on-site, online, and in selected communications and media.

7. Renting the Gallery Space

The gallery is available for rentals, including photoshoots, workshops, meetings, intimate events, screenings, long-table dinners, and creative gatherings. Space rentals provide essential financial support while offering the community access to a unique cultural venue. Check out our rental page!

8. Support Through Printing & Framing

Through our sponsor PrintMaker Studio, supporters may direct funds toward exhibition printing, framing, artist bursaries, youth-focused initiatives, partner galleries, and internal / external exhibitions. PrintMaker Studio is a our largest sponsor and makes a significant difference in our success. As a Canson Infinity Certified Print Lab, you are guaranteed the best quality in fine art printing and custom picture framing. PrintMaker Studio is a full service lab and open to the public and available for all your printing and finishing needs.

A Call to the Community

In just a short time, Gallery 881 has accomplished a tremendous amount with limited resources: supporting artists, strengthening cultural institutions, activating Strathcona, and presenting exhibitions that inspire reflection, dialogue, and connection. As we look toward 2026, we must secure a sustainable foundation to continue this work. If you believe independent cultural spaces matter—and if you believe art matters—we invite you to stand with us now.

Your support, in any form, makes a meaningful difference.

Start a Conversation

If you would like to support Gallery 881 or explore partnership opportunities, we would be honoured to speak with you. Please reach out to our Director, John Goldsmith.

📧 info@gallery881.com
📍 Gallery 881 · 881 East Hastings, Vancouver, BC

Thank you for helping sustain a space where photography, contemporary art, and community thrives.

With gratitude,
John Goldsmith
Director, Gallery 881