Community Art Council Of Vancouver

The Community Art Council of Vancouver is a volunteer-run nonprofit that promotes public art and community-based creative projects across the city. Based in the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts on West Hastings, they're more of an organizing force than a destination — but the events and projects they support are worth knowing about. For families, the CACV is useful as a connector.

They sponsor community art projects including public murals, pop-up galleries, and neighborhood art walks. These events are almost always free and tend to be hands-on — the kind of art experiences where kids participate rather than just look. The organization has a long history of supporting emerging artists and bringing art into neighborhoods that don't have traditional gallery spaces.

If you follow their social media or newsletter, you'll get advance notice of community art events that don't show up in mainstream event listings. The Goldcorp Centre itself is worth a look if you're in Gastown. The building houses SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts and occasionally hosts exhibitions and performances open to the public.

This is not a standard family outing destination. You won't spend a full afternoon here. But if you're the kind of parent who wants to expose your kids to grassroots creative culture — the kind of art that happens in parks and on sidewalks and in community halls — the CACV is how you find those experiences in Vancouver.

Best for older kids who can appreciate the community-building aspect of public art.