VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Over several decades, poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, and an urgent need for critical mental health services have come to characterize Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). This November, seven prominent artists have aligned themselves with the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation in championing a new innovative social housing and health care facility that is setting the precedent for cities across Canada – 58 West Hastings. Participating artists include Dana Claxton, Douglas Coupland, Stan Douglas, Angela Grossmann, Ken Lum, Martha Sturdy, and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun.
Led by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, the project will provide 231 new social and affordable housing units and bring together multiple levels of government support, including BC Housing and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and $30 million from the Chinatown Foundation. It will also house the Lily Lee Community Health Centre, a 50,000-square-foot integrated health centre operated by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). It will provide critical resources and accessible health care to support the unique needs of the Chinatown and DTES residents, including access to specialized mental health and addiction care.
“58 West Hastings will stand as the gold standard for affordable housing projects in Vancouver and across Canada. It is a project that has community and care at its core,” said Carol Lee, Chair of Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. “Having this collective of Canada’s leading artists provide their works to raise additional funding is an absolute gift. This project is truly paving the way forward for what can be done when we join forces as a community.”
Inspired by this innovative and important initiative, Angela Grossmann and Martha Sturdy spearheaded conversations amongst Vancouver’s community of artists who have lived, worked, and studied in the neighbourhood. When asked to contribute artwork to this pivotal project for Vancouver, the response from each artist approached was a resounding ‘yes.’ An impressive collection of generously donated artworks will be auctioned this fall at a live event in support of the project. Reproductions of each donated work of art will be translated into the design of the building.
Notably, Stan Douglas, who represented Canada at the Venice Biennale in 2022, has contributed one of his most iconic photographs directly from his personal collection entitled Every Building on 100 West Hastings. Douglas’s work involves extensive historical research and is known to pinpoint localized moments that speak to broader societal shifts. The 16-foot-long chromogenic print is constructed from 21 carefully staged images digitally stitched together and purposefully devoid of traffic or people, offering viewers a layered narrative of the empty street. The monumental work is included in museum collections, including The Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) and The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) and has not been offered for sale publicly in over a decade.
In addition, Vancouver-based Hunkpapa Lakota (Sioux) artist Dana Claxton, the 2023 Audain Prize winner, has offered a unique work entitled NDN Ironworkers Tool Still Life from her 2018 solo exhibition Fringing The Cube at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
This significant collection includes seven works in total, with new works created specifically for the project by Douglas Coupland, Ken Lum, Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Martha Sturdy, and Angela Grossmann.
“Each work donated was offered with the residents of the building in mind, realizing that placing works in a domestic space is a great privilege and comes with a huge responsibility,” says Grossmann. “Putting art into a building can be transformative, and I felt it was crucial that we include works from artists with a history of living and working in this neighbourhood and whose works address issues of social responsibility.
“I think the artists saw this as an opportunity to give work that speaks from their heart,” adds Grossmann.
Two titans of culture in Canada are the Honorary Co-Chairs of the committee spearheading this initiative, Michael Audain and the late Phil Lind. The collection will be previewed at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Tuesday, November 7th, with the live auction taking place on Thursday, November 9th, at the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation Autumn Gala hosted at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Funds realized will directly benefit the project, with partial funds allocated to installing reproductions of the artworks in the lobby and on each floor of the building. Absentee and telephone bidding is available for those who cannot attend the event. For more information, please contact Tom Gautreau at getithandled@me.com.
For more information about 58 West Hastings and the auction, visit https://www.chinatownfoundation.org/auction.
About Vancouver Chinatown Foundation
The Vancouver Chinatown Foundation is a registered charity committed to the revitalization of Chinatown, one of Canada’s most iconic neighbourhoods in the historic heart of Vancouver. The Foundation builds more resilient and inclusive communities by promoting the well-being of those in need while preserving Chinatown’s irreplaceable cultural heritage.
