I stepped through the doors of the Campbell River Art Gallery on an unseasonably warm October afternoon. The space hummed with quiet energy as a small group of elders from the Wei Wai Kum Nation moved slowly through the latest exhibition, their soft conversations punctuating the stillness. In the corner, two teenagers with sketchbooks perched on a bench, studying the textural elements of a mixed-media installation.
“This is what success looks like,” whispered Vicky Wallace, the gallery’s community outreach coordinator, who had agreed to walk me through the space. “Not just numbers, but moments of genuine connection.”
The Campbell River Art Gallery has been quietly transforming itself from a traditional exhibition space into a vital community hub that’s gaining recognition well beyond Vancouver Island’s borders. Last month, the British Columbia Arts Council awarded the gallery its Community Impact Award, acknowledging five years of innovative programming that has dramatically expanded both its audience and its cultural relevance.
“We’ve doubled our attendance since 2019,” explains Wallace. “But what matters more is who’s coming through those doors now. We’re seeing people who never thought art galleries were ‘for them.'”
The shift began when the gallery launched its Cultural Crossroads initiative in 2020, amid pandemic restrictions that forced a reimagining of public spaces. What started as virtual workshops evolved into a deeply collaborative approach to curation that invites community members to help shape exhibitions from conception to installation.
For Curtis Wilson, a Wei Wai Kum artist and cultural advisor, the gallery’s evolution represents something profound. “My grandparents would never have seen themselves reflected in this building,” he told me, gesturing toward a striking contemporary piece that incorporates traditional Coast Salish design elements. “Now my children not only see themselves here, they help create what happens in this space.”
The gallery’s transformation aligns with broader trends in cultural institutions across Canada. A 2022 report from the Canadian Museums Association found that institutions actively partnering with diverse communities saw 30% higher engagement and significantly stronger financial resilience than those maintaining traditional curatorial approaches.
This community-first approach was evident when I visited the gallery’s current exhibition, “Watershed Moments,” which explores the Campbell River watershed through multiple perspectives. The show weaves together scientific data from the Campbell River Watershed Coalition, landscape photography, Indigenous knowledge shared by Elders, and artwork created by local high school students during gallery-led field workshops.
Environmental scientist Maria Tanaka, who contributed research data visualizations to the exhibition, believes the interdisciplinary approach creates unique opportunities for environmental education. “When you present watershed health through art, you reach people who might never read a scientific paper,” she explained. “I’ve watched visitors spend twenty minutes with these installations, truly absorbing information that might otherwise feel inaccessible.”
The gallery’s expanding influence extends beyond its physical walls. Its mobile art studio—a converted delivery van painted in vibrant colors—brings workshops to remote communities, elder care facilities, and schools throughout the North Island region. Last year, these outreach programs reached over 3,000 people who might otherwise never visit the gallery.
“We recognized that transportation is a huge barrier for many rural residents,” explains Wallace. “The mobile studio lets us bring artistic opportunities directly to communities while building relationships that eventually bring those same people back to the gallery itself.”
Financial sustainability has traditionally challenged smaller cultural institutions, particularly in regions outside major urban centers. The Campbell River Gallery’s approach offers an instructive model. By deepening community investment, they’ve expanded their donor base by 65% since 2019, according to the gallery’s annual report. Corporate sponsorships have followed, with local businesses increasingly viewing the gallery as an essential community service rather than a mere cultural amenity.
Lisa Thompson, who owns a local accounting firm, began sponsoring gallery programs three years ago. “Supporting the gallery isn’t charity—it’s investing in Campbell River’s future,” she says. “Their work strengthens our community fabric while making this a more attractive place for young professionals and families.”
The gallery’s youth programs have proven particularly transformative. Seventeen-year-old Jayden Morris first came to the gallery two years ago through a school field trip. Now he volunteers twenty hours monthly and credits the gallery with changing his life trajectory.
“Before, I didn’t think there was space for someone like me in the art world,” Morris tells me as we watch visitors interact with a digital installation he helped create. “Now I’m applying to art school next year. This place showed me possibilities I couldn’t see before.”
Not everyone has embraced the gallery’s evolution. Some longtime patrons have expressed concern about the shift away from traditional fine art exhibitions toward more community-created content. Gallery director Sarah Hammond acknowledges these tensions while remaining committed to the new direction.
“We’re not abandoning artistic excellence—we’re expanding who gets to participate in defining what that means,” Hammond explains. “The most exciting art has always pushed boundaries and challenged assumptions. That’s exactly what we’re doing as an institution.”
The recognition from the BC Arts Council validates this approach and positions the Campbell River Art Gallery as a model for similar institutions across the province. The council’s assessment specifically praised the gallery’s “exceptional achievement in transforming cultural access and representation while maintaining artistic integrity.”
As twilight settles over Campbell River’s harbor, visible through the gallery’s west-facing windows, a new group arrives for an evening workshop. The participants span four generations, from elders to children, gathering around tables set with clay and carving tools.
“This is what we’re building,” Wallace says, watching the scene unfold. “Not just an art gallery, but a place where community happens through creative expression.”
In a time when digital experiences increasingly dominate our attention, the gallery offers something increasingly precious—a physical space where people connect across differences through shared creative exploration. The growing recognition of its work suggests this model meets a profound community need that extends far beyond Campbell River itself.
