Downtown Vancouver alley to be transformed into public art walk
Simon Fraser University students invited to submit artwork for Canvas Corridor
Another downtown Vancouver alley is about to get a facelift.
The Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA) is planning to transform the two-block section of Eihu Lane between Burrard and Bute streets into a public art walk called Canvas Corridor.
The association is teaming up with the Simon Fraser University School for the Contemporary Arts and has put out the call to students past and present who wish to showcase their work along the corridor.
The plan is to cover approximately 50 doors along Eihu Lane with artwork by the end of the summer, making the alley feel safer and more inviting.
Changing perceptions
Canvas Corridor is the third laneway improvement project the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association has tackled.
The association's previous projects include beautifying Alley Oop south of West Hastings Street, between Granville and Seymour streets, and Ackery's Alley, next to the Orpheum Theatre.
Charles Gauthier, president of the DVBIA, said the beautification projects help make laneways safer, which is one of the many responsibilities of the association.
Gauthier said it was primarily men who walked through Alley Oop and Ackery's Alley before they were transformed. Since then, he said more women are passing through.
"Women are feeling more safe and comfortable going into the laneways ... so it's changing people's perceptions," said Gauthier.
He said people come to the laneways to take pictures for social media, to play basketball and, at one point, even to attend a Just For Laughs comedy event.
Gauthier hopes the association transforms more laneways and says in the long-term the alleys could be locations for future businesses.
Interested SFU artists can submit their artwork until May 27. Installation is expected in July and August.