A creative space for artists to work publicly and close to home.
That's the goal of the Other Sights for Artists' Projects Association, which recently received $15,000 from the City of Vancouver for upcoming artist residencies.
The organization was one of 127 in total approved a combined more than $2.6 million from the first round of cultural grants for 2025, ranging from film and music festivals to community projects and social experiments.
For Other Sights, the money will support three Indigenous artists at one of the new FLEET Mobile Studios. Each artist will represent the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
FLEET aims to provide intimate, alternate spaces for artists and is a response to Vancouver's loss of 400,000 sq. ft. of studio space in the last decade.
"We’re grateful to the city for this support," said Jay Pahre, general manager of FLEET Mobile Artist Studios.
"This grant will help us create meaningful opportunities for Indigenous artists to create work in public spaces on their home territories. FLEET Mobile Artist Studios seek to bring art directly to people where they live and work, create accessible platforms for creative expression and foster meaningful dialogue around inclusion and reconciliation."
The $15,000 financial boost was the City of Vancouver's largest allocation for a non-profit or community group that applied for a cultural grant. A total of 11 groups received the maximum in the latest round.
"These grants are an investment in the future of Vancouver’s cultural landscape," said Mayor Ken Sim in a news release.
"By supporting local artists, non-profits, and cultural institutions, we’re cultivating a vibrant arts scene that strengthens our community, creates economic opportunities, and brings people together."
Broken down, groups were placed into one of four cohorts for the $2.6-million funding (as listed by the City of Vancouver):
- $489,700 = Communities and Artists Shifting Culture first intake
- Festivals, arts projects and events
- $960,520 = Cultural Operating Funding – Institution
- $578,170 = Cultural Operating Funding – Annual
- $611,000 = Cultural Operating Funding – Multiyear
- Long-term support, no need to apply for grants each year
The full first-round list of cultural grant recipients can be found on the City of Vancouver's 2025 cultural grant report.
