Inside Vancouver

“Vancouver Special” Home Exhibit Reflects on City’s Real Estate Boom

by Remy Scalza in Town on March 20, 2015

Photo sourced from yourvancouverrealestate.ca

The term “Vancouver Special” refers to a style of home design in the city popular from the ’60s through the ’80s. These two-storey houses, often with brick and stucco facades, aren’t much to look at, architecturally speaking. But they were designed to be affordable and to maximize square footage on small lots, important features for the influx of immigrants and other buyers who snatched them up.

Now, a new exhibit by artist Ken Lum – best known locally for designing the iconic East Van cross – is looking back at the heyday of the Vancouver Special, with a bit of nostalgia for a bygone era of affordability in the city. Titled Vancouver Especially, the exhibit consists of a scale model of a Vancouver Special-style home, built on a vacant plot of land on the edge of Vancouver’s Chinatown. Continue reading:
“Vancouver Special” Home Exhibit Reflects on City’s Real Estate Boom

Vancouver is at the Vancouver Art Gallery

by Inside Vancouver in Entertainment on February 23, 2011

Vancouver is on display at the Vancouver Art Gallery in more ways than one.

It’s a mash up of exhibits between Vancouver’s home-grown, internationally known artist, Ken Lum and We: Vancouver – 12 Manifestos for the City.

This week I took a walk through the gallery with the curators from each exhibit. While I can enjoy letting art speak for itself; it is a whole other memorable experience to have the magic of art be revealed in hearing the details. The gallery hosts tours every Thursday and Saturday if smoke and mirrors are not for you.

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Vancouver is at the Vancouver Art Gallery

Vancouver Art Gallery for Penny Pinchers

by Remy Scalza in Entertainment on February 9, 2011

Now, I’m sure this is no secret. Savvy Vancouverites have probably known about this bargain for years. But, I was surprised to find out recently that the Vancouver Art Gallery is “pay by donation” on Tuesday nights from 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

Normal admission costs $19.50 for adults, which is money well spent considering the treasure trove of Canadian and contemporary art on display. But, depending on your “donation,” you stand to save a pretty penny if you visit on Tuesday evenings. Just thought I’d pass that along if you happen to be an art fan on a tight budget.

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Vancouver Art Gallery for Penny Pinchers

The Story behind the East Van Cross

by Remy Scalza in Town on January 27, 2011

Photo Credit: Modernchristianart.net

Chances are if you live in Vancouver you’ve driven by the iconic cross erected at the corner of Great Northern Way and Clark Drive. Written vertically in massive letters is the word East. Intersecting that horizontally is the word Van.

I’ve always thought that the cross was an especially powerful monument to East Vancouver, in many ways embodying the suffering and hopes of the neighborhood. According to a recent article in the Vancouver Sun by John Mackie, the East Van cross is indeed a potent symbol with historical roots in the area.

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The Story behind the East Van Cross