Registration for Isle of the Arts Festival is now open

Register Now

This year you can also register in person at the Gabriola Arts and Heritage Centre. If you plan to pay by cash or cheque, you’ll need to register in-person. More details on in-person registration can be found here.

2023 Arty Award Nominations are LIVE!

Gabriola Arts Council ARTY Award

The Gabriola Arts Council’s ARTY Award is given to a Gabriola resident, group or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to arts and culture on Gabriola Island in the previous year.

WHO is eligible:

– any full-time resident of Gabriola Island, or a Gabriola-based group, organization or business;

– full- or part-time employees of the Gabriola Arts Council are not eligible, nor are current directors. Contractors and freelance workers are eligible. Past-serving directors are eligible;

WHY does this award exist:

– to honour the contribution, commitment, hard work and engagement of artists, artisans, art lovers, and arts supporters on Gabriola Island;

– to bring attention in the community to the all of the above.

HOW the ARTY Award recipient is determined:

– GAC members and other Gabriola residents can make nominations when the call is made (usually late March/early April);

– the GAC Board of Directors reviews all nominations and makes a decision based on the information provided in the nomination form and their knowledge of the nominees and their contributions.

WHEN is the ARTY Award presented:

– at the ARTY PARTY, which is a key element of the Isle of the Arts Festival.

CONDITIONS of winning:

– the winner of the ARTY Award has the honour of being able to display the coveted ARTY trophy in their home, studio or place of work for one year;

– the winner must return the ARTY trophy to the Gabriola Arts Council at the end of the year in a creatively altered form.

2023 ARTY Award Nomination Form

Nominate a person, collective, or group that has made an outstanding contribution to the arts on Gabriola Island in 2022.
  • Enter the full name of the person or group that you think is deserving of the coveted ARTY Award. Remember—this cannot be a current GAC Director or staff person.
  • Please provide their phone number, if you know it.
  • Please provide their email address, if you know it.
  • Please tell us why you think this person or group should receive the 2022 ARTY Award. Tell us how have they made a contribution to the arts on Gabriola Island, and specifically last year (in 2021). Provide as much detail as you like.
    Once you click the "submit" button, your nomination has been sent. Thank you for your contribution to the process and for caring about the arts in our community.

Nominations are open until March 29th. The winner will be announced at the Arty Party on April 8th. You can get tickets at artsgabriola.ca

See you there!

International Women’s Day

The Gabriola Arts Council celebrates giving women what they need to experience equity. Embracing equity means we don’t just talk about it, we don’t just write about it, we EMBRACE it with the goal of creating a more inclusive environment for women to succeed. If you #EmbraceEquity, give yourself a hug. We can challenge gender stereotypes, seek out inclusion and call out bias. Every. Day. Not just one day a year.

Isle of the Arts Festival Logo

Isle of the Arts Festival: The Stories We Tell

Isle of the Arts Festival: The Stories We Tell

March 30th – April 9th

The Isle of the Arts Festival (IoTA) is back March 30th through April 9th! Bigger and brighter than ever before with a diverse offering of a whopping 37 workshops, 5 dynamic events, a fulsome Professional Development Day with lunch included.
This year the theme we explore is: The Stories We Tell. This can mean something different to each of us, which is part of the point. The stories we tell are the ones we tell our friends, our family, our coworkers, the police officer when we get pulled over for speeding, and the stories we tell ourselves. Sometimes the stories we tell ourselves are not healthy, they make us believe things that aren’t true. Sometimes the stories we tell ourselves can help shape our futures and soar to new heights. Sometimes the stories we read can change our perspective.

Read more…