Open Space is a non-profit artist-run centre situated on lək̓ʷəŋən land, also now know as Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Since its founding in 1972, Open Space continues to present experimental artistic practices across contemporary arts disciplines, including but not limited to  literary, new music + sound, and visual arts.

People

Mission & Values

In 2009, Open Space Arts Society adopted values and operating principles in the following three areas:

Mandate

Open Space supports experimental artistic practices in all contemporary arts disciplines, engaging art, artists, and communities.

Professional artists are at the core of Open Space's mandate to fulfill the following OBJECTIVES:

• advance new areas of art production and criticism;
• provide artists with opportunities to develop, present, and disseminate work;
• engage diverse audiences in contemporary visual, sound, literary, media, and performance arts;
• expand the roles and the status of artists and contemporary art of all media;
• adhere to professional codes of ethics;
• pay professional artists’ fees;
• operate in a fiscally responsible manner to further the Society’s objectives.

History

As one of the oldest artist-run centres in Canada, Open Space has played a significant role in the development of contemporary art in Canada, in conjunction with other centres like it. Open Space has hosted thousands of artists for exhibitions, concerts, screenings, workshops, readings, installations, performances, off-site projects, public art, seminars, conversations, curatorial and artists’ residencies, and public education projects. Open Space also publishes, maintains archives and a resource centre, and manages a commercial lease for the lower level of its building. 

As a social space for art, Open Space encourages participation in the arts by artists and community members. We are always working to strengthen our engagement with Indigenous ways of knowing, programs, and art projects. Some of our artists and community engagement strategies include: intergenerational programming and mentorships; supporting early career arts professionals through mentorships, summer jobs, co-op placements, and volunteer opportunities; facilitating conversation among disparate groups defined by discipline and culture; and presenting thoughtful, innovative art.

Hundreds of writers have read at Open Space, including: Margaret Atwood, Serena Lukas Bhandar, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Shane Book, Dionne Brand, Hiromi Goto, Sylvia Legris, Lee Maracle, Alice Munro, Andrew Nikiforuk, Michael Ondaatje, Lisa Robertson, Leanne Simpson, and Rita Wong.

The new music program has attracted Black Belt Eagle Scout, Matthew Cardinal and Stephanie Kuse, Ellen Fullman, Gordon Monaghan, Pauline Oliveros, McArthur Genius Award winner Trimpin and others, while continuing a partnership with the Garden City New Music Society’s NeuzTech and Wonderment festivals. 

Performance highlights include: Lori Blondeau, Dana Claxton, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Sandra Johnston, the Lək̓ʷəŋən Traditional Dancers, James Luna, Tanya Lukin Linklater in collaboration with Ivanie Aubin-Malo, Guadalupe Martinez, members of Blackmarket International, among many others. 

For complete listings of past programs, visit the Archives page.

A brief historical overview:

• 1971 Gene Miller began programming visual art, theatrical performances, and literary events at 510 Fort Street
• 1972 The centre was incorporated in October under the name The Greater Victoria Theatre Box Society. Music programming begins with Don Druik’s piano and electronic compositions.
• 1975 510 Fort Street is purchased
• 1977 The Theatre Box Society changes its name to Open Space Arts Society
• 1978 New music begins with Bill Bartlett’s and John Celona’s Collaboratory
• 1978 Sat-Tel-Comp is one of the first telematic video transmissions utilizing satellite technology; this project identified Open Space as a leader in new media
• 1983 Diana Burgoyne’s performance Digital Body in the downtown areas of Victoria is one of the earliest experiments with electronic sound as part of an interactive performance
• 1983 Open Space received national acclaim for Gallery on Wheels, a mobile public art project in collaboration with Victoria Transit presenting artworks on the exterior of local buses
• 1986 Open Space initiated the Open Ears Series with the new music concert series Monday Nights at Open Space
• 1987 Open Space received national attention for its Gallery on Wheels project
• 1992 Open Space held Here Today, an exhibition featuring Musqueam artist Susan Point and Tsimishian textile artist Ron Green. The exhibition was one of the earliest instances of Indigenous artwork being displayed in a contemporary gallery in Victoria
• 1996 Open Space board moved to dissolve Open Space, followed by a special members meeting that reversed the dissolution decision and elected a new board. Volunteers James Lindsay, Roz McMurchy, and Dianne Searle manage Open Space for a year until funding and operations stabilize
• 1998 Open Space board and staff contracted a facilitator to develop a Strategic Plan
• 1998 Open Space website was initiated as a programming space
• 2001 Open Space began a partnership with Interactive Futures, an international symposium, art installation, and new media festival affiliated with the Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival
• 2002 Doug Jarvis joins Open Space
• 2004 Open Space began developing a comprehensive print, audio, and digital Resource Centre at Open Space in 1999 and launched it in 2004 with the support of the Vancouver Foundation
• 2004 Audiospace extended the physical space of the artist-run centre by presenting audio works designed specifically for web dissemination
• 2008 Open Space established the Open Space Endowment, managed by the Victoria Foundation
• 2010 Peter Morin began his tenure as Aboriginal Curator-in-Residence
• 2013 Miles Giesbrecht joins Open Space as the Lead Technician
• 2013 Audiospace developed a physical exhibition space solely dedicated to sound
• 2014 France Trépanier began her residency as Aboriginal Curator
• 2014 Open Space nominated Sandra Meigs’ for her 2014 Governor General’s Award
• 2015 Open Space collaborated with the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria to present Anna Banana: 45 Years of Fooling Around with A. Banana, artist Anna Banana’s career retrospective
• 2017 France Trépanier began her role as the first on-staff Indigenous Curator at Open Space
• 2019 Eli Hirtle moved into the role of Curator, Indigenous and Contemporary Art
• 2021 Doug Jarvis becomes Executive Director
• 2021 Amena Sharmin joins Open Space as Operations Manager 
• 2024 Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé becomes Curator of Indigenous and Contemporary Art 
• 2024 Open Space undergoes major renovation to upgrade its accessibility which included expanding the washroom and installing an elevator
• 2025 Bri Godsman becomes Communications Coordinator 
• 2025 Open Space reopens its doors after Access Renovations are complete. Contemplating Change marks the first exhibition in the newly renoc