Zoom to the VAG through Art Connects: a bi-weekly, live, virtual series

Empty exhibitions aren’t collecting dust in the Vancouver Art Gallery during this pandemic.  When the doors closed to the public on March 16, Associate Director Diana Freundl says the gallery began looking for innovative ways to make its collections accessible and continue serving the community.

“We have everyone going to social media offerings but we already do that,” says Freundl. “How do we take the content we were going to do in person and put it online?”

Art Connects, a bi-weekly interactive series is the answer VAG came up with. On Tuesdays and Fridays, folks can sign up for free Zoom sessions that range from a curatorial “tour” of a current exhibition to artist talks and panels.  

The live streamed sessions have seen anywhere from 150 participants to 350—which is larger than VAG’s maximum capacity. The virtual aspect of Art Connects has been somewhat of a silver lining for participants, according to Freundl.  

“Someone can type in their questions from another country and you know, that kind of breaks down the barriers,” says Freundel. “In a situation where you're not visible, you may feel more comfortable with asking a question because it's slightly more anonymous.”

Interim Chief Curator Diana Freundl at the VAG Summer Gala 2019, Photo: Pardeep Singh 

Doors have also opened up to new collaborations with other galleries. Already, VAG has partnered with the San Francisco Asian Art Museum and Seattle Art Gallery for a discussion on the healing powers of museums. While virtual opportunities aren’t exclusive to this pandemic, coordinating three organizations online would have taken a greater effort before stay at home measures were enforced. Now, it can come together in less than a week. 

On top of this, the Vancouver Art Gallery has joined fieldtrip.art, a website where Canadian museums are sharing their virtual events. The site aims to take people on a Canadian field trip by offering a new event or online exhibition daily.

“Even though we're all kind of isolated, we're all brought together in this one virtual space,” says Freundl of the online initiatives. “You hope that in a post-pandemic world, these kinds of collaborative structures remain and maybe they'll take new forms.”