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Burnaby, British Columbia

Canada V5A 1S6

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Always Free

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upcoming
Nov 8, 2025, 11:00 AM–4:00 AM

Open Studio Saturdays

A child is holding a decorated paper plate craft with a beaded handle. The plate features various colorful materials, including shiny and textured elements, predominantly in shades of green, red, blue, and silver. The background shows a classroom setting with tables covered in craft supplies and natural light coming through a large window.

Art making in the Tuey Art Studio, Studio Saturday Event, October 25, 2025.

Karen Thảo La

Open Studio Saturdays

Open Studio Saturdays are a super fun way to spend an afternoon with the family. Our art-making activities imaginatively respond to the materials and themes of the Gibson’s current exhibition. In recognition of kids’ continual growth and appetites for creative exploration, different stations are often set up for 3-7 year olds and 8-12 year olds. And there’s always something to take home. Dress for mess! Lockers and stroller parking available.

When: Saturdays, Drop in style, 12–4pm (except when the Gibson is closed for exhibition installation) 
Where: Tuey Art Studio (and Audain and Karasawa Courtyard when weather permits) 
Who: Multi-generational; family and kid friendly 3-12 yrs.  

Upcoming Open Studio Saturdays

November 8, 2025 - Collaborative Drawing

This session is led by Pietro Sammarco, the Gibson Art Museum's Curator of Learning, and will involve the practising of shared techniques for drawing!

Past Open Studio Saturdays

November 1, 2025 - With Our Hands

This session honours Debra Sparrow’s practice of carrying forward ancestral knowledge through the act of weaving. Facilitator Karen Thảo La will guide participants in creating simple woven wall hangings using cardboard looms, yarn, and bamboo — a traditional weaving material from her motherland, Vietnam. Together, we’ll explore rhythm, colour, and texture.

Note: this session differs from the past “Woven Time” workshop, resulting in a weaving that can be taken off the loom and hung on found twigs or a wooden dowel.

October 25, 2025 - Everyday Treasures

Karen Thảo La invites you to collect and bring small treasures from your surroundings: petals, leaves, and other tiny finds that have already fallen on the ground, photos, or anything else small and relatively flat. Together, we’ll create a suncatcher: an artwork that plays with transparency by layering materials to celebrate the beauty of everyday wonders and small joys, inspired by the work of Lucien Durey. Don’t worry if you can’t collect treasures; a variety of materials will be provided.

October 18, 2025 - Blue Portraits

Create a self-portrait on pre-exposed sun paper — an image that will slowly shift and change over time. Your portrait could represent you or the things you love and keep close, reflecting memories that make you who you are. This process echoes Liz Magor’s Blue Students series, which uses the cyanotype process to explore how light reveals and conceals.

October 11, 2025 - Woven Time

Inspired by the work of exhibiting artists Sameer Farooq and Jared Stanley, you are invited to weave with the Gibson’s own museum conservation materials—from bubble wrap to tissue paper—alongside yarn, to create your own “mini-museum” tapestry. Each unique creation becomes a living archive of your visit to the Gibson.

October 4, 2025 - Dissolving Edges

Imagine the “coordinates” of your home — the colours, symbols, and shapes that represent where you feel most yourself. Then explore the dreamlike, layered world of Patrick Cruz’s installations, using printed sections of his work as a starting point for intuitive mark-making, dissolving the boundaries between your world and his.

September 27, 2025 - Watercolours in the studio!

With a focus on playing with materials and process, artist Liz Toohey-Wiese offers an exploration with watercolour paint, composition, and questions of place, which she developed for the collaborative project Where Does the Rain Go?, featured in the Gibson’s inaugural exhibition Edge Effects. Participants will work with traditional quilting templates to transform simple paintings into new and creative assemblages.

Artists

  • Pietro Sammarco
  • Karen Thảo La
  • Liz Toohey-Wiese 

Generously supported by the Tuey Charitable Foundation and Friends of the Gibson 

Images (47)

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A blue hardcover book titled "The Bluest of Blues" by Fiona Robinson is placed on a brown surface, next to a colorful drawing featuring a blue figure with a smiling face. A piece of multicolored yarn and some art supplies, including scissors and colored pencils, are also visible in the scene.
A hand is shown holding a yellow crayon, drawing on a blue sheet of paper that depicts a circular, whimsical scenery with butterflies. The background features a table covered in brown paper with various colorful scribbles and messages, including heart shapes and names. Two crayons, one yellow and one blue, are placed on the table beside the drawing.
Two women are sitting at a table inside a brightly lit room with large windows, showing a rainy scene outside. They are holding up blue pieces of paper with artistic designs while smiling at the camera. The table is covered with brown paper and features scattered markers and crayons.
Two children are standing indoors, smiling while holding up their artwork. The girl on the left is wearing a pink jacket with heart patterns and black leopard-print leggings, while the boy on the right is dressed in a tan shirt and an orange jacket with gray pants. They are each holding a colorful drawing; the girl has a blue background with various shapes, and the boy holds two drawings: one depicting a rainbow and sun, and the other featuring a smiling face. Natural light comes through large windows in the background.
A piece of blue art paper featuring an oval shape painted in a darker blue, with small dots in red and yellow. A paintbrush rests nearby, and there is a white plate with splashes of color. A clear cup containing a liquid sits in the background, and the surface is covered with brown paper showing some additional marks. A printed sheet of paper with text is partially visible in the background.
A tabletop covered in brown paper features three colorful paintings on blue paper, depicting abstract designs and a winter scene. A white plate holds various paint colors, and several paintbrushes are nearby, along with a small purple container and a cloth. A Hello Kitty-themed bag is visible in the lower corner of the image.
Three colorful drawings are displayed on a brown table covered with doodles and text. The first drawing on the left features a large purple oval with facial features drawn in a simple style. The middle drawing has a blue background with a smiling face and glasses, along with a small flower. The drawing on the right depicts an oval shape against a blue and red background, with colorful shapes above it. Nearby, there are a couple of paintbrushes and a paper plate.
A child is holding a colorful, abstract artwork that depicts a blue face surrounded by splashes of different colors, including purple, green, and orange. The background is textured with brush strokes, and there are art supplies on a table in the foreground, including markers and plates for mixing. The scene is in a well-lit room with large windows showing rainy weather outside.
A young boy with short dark hair is holding a colorful drawing on blue paper, depicting a face with various facial features. He is wearing a blue jacket and looks towards the camera with a serious expression. In the background, an adult woman with short blonde hair, wearing a blue beanie and glasses, smiles while standing near a table filled with art supplies, including markers and brushes. The setting has large windows and a light wooden interior.
A view from indoors looking out a large window. In the foreground, a table displays various art supplies, including colorful paper, markers, and plates. Outside, a gray, rainy sky looms over a garden with bare trees and a vibrant red tree in the center. To the right, an orange metal chair is positioned on a gray paved area. The scene captures a blend of indoor activities and an autumn landscape.
A view through a rain-speckled window showing a colorful array of square transparent panels (red, orange, yellow, green, and blue) against a gray pavement. Outside, vibrant red trees are visible, along with a modern building and an orange metal chair placed nearby on the ground. The scene is rainy and overcast.
A table displays various crafting supplies and project instructions. On the left, there are containers filled with colored papers, ribbons, scissors, and threads. A basket holds natural materials like leaves and pinecones. Other containers include pom-poms, stickers, and paper plates. Several instructions outline crafting steps. The background shows a window with an outdoor view.
A child's hands are seen working on a decorated paper plate, which features a mix of glitter, colorful shapes, and green leaves. The plate has a blue painted edge and contains a fish illustration among other decorative elements. In the background, there are additional paper plates and instructional sheets on a table.
A person is holding a paper plate decorated with a blue fish, green leaves, and blue glitter. The plate has a bead and pipe cleaner handle. The background features light-colored flooring.
A large image of a colorful salad displayed on a shallow plate sitting on grass. The salad features various ingredients like greens, edible flowers, and sliced vegetables. To the right, a person holds a decorative plate with a painted design in bright colors, partially obscured by their hand. The background is a simple white wall.
A child wearing a pink sweater holds a circular craft project decorated with colorful bits of paper and a golden string for hanging. The artwork features a red tree with a bright sun and clouds, encapsulated in transparent material. The background is a light wooden floor, adding a warm ambiance to the scene.
An overhead view of a creative workspace featuring a yellow paper plate decorated with colorful paint, glitter, and a pink swirl. Surrounding it are various craft materials including scattered pieces of colored paper, paintbrushes, paint tubes, and a small collage of leaves and flowers. The table is covered with brown craft paper, showing scribbles and additional colorful cutouts.
A colorful paper plate craft adorned with blue ribbons, feathers, and various green and blue decorations hangs in front of a window. Outside, there are bright red trees and a cloudy sky, with raindrops visible on the glass. In the foreground, a child's arm and part of their body can be seen, suggesting they are playing nearby.
A decorated paper plate hangs from colorful beads and pipe cleaners. The plate is adorned with blue feathers, various colored strips of paper, shiny confetti, and green shapes. Nearby, there are additional craft materials, including colored tissue paper, on a brown surface.
A child is holding a decorated paper plate craft with a beaded handle. The plate features various colorful materials, including shiny and textured elements, predominantly in shades of green, red, blue, and silver. The background shows a classroom setting with tables covered in craft supplies and natural light coming through a large window.
A view through a rain-speckled window shows a landscaped area with a cluster of bright red trees against a gray sky. In the foreground, two colored rectangles—one red and one orange—are overlaid on a gravel path with patches of bare soil and small plants. A modern building with large windows is visible in the background.
A woman and a young girl sit on a light wooden floor next to a large window. The woman, wearing a cream-colored knitted sweater and black pants, is crouching beside the girl, who is wearing a striped dress. They are both looking outside at a landscaped area with colorful autumn trees and a path. There are plates and utensils on a table nearby.
A child holds up a colorful, circular art piece made from paper plates, featuring painted designs and decorative elements like feathers and leaves. The background shows raindrops on a window and a glimpse of an outdoor scene with colorful foliage. Other children can be seen in the background, one waving from outside.
A colorful, handcrafted decoration made from a paper plate, featuring vibrant paint in green, blue, red, and black around the edges. The center contains a sparkly blue figure with a pink pom-pom for hair, surrounded by green leaves. A red pipe cleaner serves as a hanging loop at the top. In the background, a glimpse of a workshop setting is visible, with blurred figures sitting at tables.

Pietro Sammarco’s creative practice improvises with found sounds to learn about our relationships to place. He has taught listening and audio production at Emily Carr University, the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, and the Vancouver Public Library’s Inspiration Lab. From 2016 to 2021, he programmed educational activities at VIVO Media Arts Centre, to deepen community engagement with the non-profit’s exhibitions, archives, and facilities. Pietro earned his MA from SFU on the unceded territories of the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), studying soundscape composition with Barry Truax and Hildegard Westerkamp, and youth media with Stuart Poyntz. He joins the Gibson’s team as their new Curator of Learning & Community Engagement in October 2025.

Karen Thảo La is a Vietnamese-Canadian artist, cultural producer, and facilitator based on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations. With roots from Sài Gòn to Cà Mau, her community-engaged practice is shaped by collective memory and a childhood dream to create freely. Her work centres on creating accessible artistic experiences and spaces for gathering, connection, and learning. Her latest project, Vòng Vòng (“around”), is a periodic, intergenerational series weaving these themes together. She leads youth programs at Vancouver’s Roundhouse Community Centre and has facilitated workshops for children across British Columbia and in Vietnam. She holds a BFA from the University of British Columbia.

Liz Toohey-Wiese is a settler artist residing on the homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and sə̓lílwətaʔɬ peoples. She is a graduate from the MFA program at NSCAD University. She completed her undergraduate degree in painting at Emily Carr University, also undertaking coursework at the University of Victoria and the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon. She has taken part in solo and group shows across Canada, and has undertaken artist residencies at the Sointula Art Shed (2019), the Caetani Cultural Center (2020/21/22), Island Mountain Arts (2021), the Similkameen Artist Residency (2023), Artscape Gibraltar Point (2023), and the Klondike Institute for Arts + Culture (2024). Deeply interested in the history of landscape painting, her paintings explore contemporary relationships between identity and place. Her most recent work explores the complicated topic of wildfires and their connections to tourism, economy, grief, and renewal.