Suzy Birstein, who creates out of Parker Street Studios, is among the many artists \u2013 including Esther Rausenberg, Ideet Sharon, Lauren Morris and others \u2013 who are opening their doors to the public during the Eastside Culture Crawl Visual Arts, Design & Craft Festival Nov. 20-23. <\/i>(photo from Suzy Birstein)<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i>More than 500 artists \u2013 including Esther Rausenberg, Ideet Sharon, Lauren Morris, Suzy Birstein and other Jewish community members \u2013 are participating in the Eastside Arts Society\u2019s 29th annual Eastside Culture Crawl Visual Arts, Design & Craft Festival Nov. 20-23.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The festival will welcome visitors into the studios and workshops of Eastside artists in more than 80 registered buildings, including 20 buildings new to the Crawl \u2013 marking a 25% increase in options for exploring all that is on display across the Eastside Arts District (EAD). This year also marks the beginning of a three-year partnership with the Audain Foundation as the Crawl\u2019s presenting partner, recognizing the importance of creative spaces and experimentation to a vibrant and healthy arts ecosystem.<\/p>\n \u201cVancouver is home to a growing number of artists who continue to create in the face of tremendous economic hardships and reduced access to studio space,\u201d said Rausenberg, who is artistic director of the Eastside Arts Society (EAS). \u201cTheir unwavering passion, ingenuity and resourcefulness results in a richness of unique and diverse production and working artist spaces, creating exciting new opportunities for art lovers to explore, to discover and to be inspired.\u201d<\/p>\n Encompassing the region bounded by Columbia Street, 1st Avenue, Victoria Drive and the Waterfront, the festival offers visitors a window into the artistic practices of artists living and\/or working in Vancouver\u2019s EAD, representing creators specializing in painting, jewelry, sculpture, furniture, leather goods, photography, glass works, textiles, and more.<\/p>\n As part of the Crawl, EAS will host a series of ancillary events, including the 2025 Preview Exhibition, a multi-venue, salon-style curated exhibition that explores a variety of media, formats, techniques and styles. This year\u2019s theme of \u201cPassion, Reason, Idiocy\u201d invited participating artists to submit works that speak to the emotional, rational and foolish elements of their lived experience as working artists. The exhibition features juried works from 78 artists at three venues \u2013 Pendulum Gallery, the Cultch Gallery and Alternative Creations Gallery \u2013 until Nov. 30.<\/p>\n The 12th Annual Eastside Culture Crawl Film and Video Exhibition, in partnership with the Lumi\u00e8re Festival, will be projected outdoors nightly Nov. 13-16. Short films from eight participating artists \u2013 Ethan White, Garrett Andrew Chong, Cheree Lang, Fatima Travassos, Debra Gloeckler, Rashi Sethi, Isaac Forsland and Nisha Platzer \u2013 explore the theme of \u201cUnity,\u201d selected by Moving Art curators Rausenberg, Kate MacDonald and Sierra MacTavish.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s series of Talking Art panels will be shared online, with two remaining. On Nov. 12, curated and moderated by Samantha Mains, artists Mackenzie Perras and Jes Hanzelkova will talk about artist practices that rely on the use of place, whether as a source for their concepts, art medium and materials, or site for performance. On Nov. 13, Mains will moderate while artists Jai Sallay-Carrington and Gina D\u2019Aloisio explore artists whose practices have been changed by the influence of others, through participation in artist residencies or social media.<\/p>\n