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About Us
VIVAS was founded in 2022 as a response to a dire lack of affordable space for artists in the Greater Victoria area. With over a decade of experience providing below-market studio and exhibition spaces, VIVAS founder Logan Ford saw the need to create a non-profit society to work with both public and private sectors to ensure that artists in Victoria have the resources they need to continue to live and work in the region. VIVAS currently manages Victoria’s largest visual arts hub at 780 Blanshard st., where over 90 artists, 4 galleries, and 5 non-profit arts organizations have access to deeply affordable creative space in the heart of the city. In December of 2025, VIVAS opened its newest location at 1101 Yates St AKA "The Hourglass", which houses an additional 20 affordable studios and a large exhibition space.
VIVAS is committed to making the arts accessible to everyone through free public programming, incuding regularly scheduled gallery exhibitions and open studio tours. By engaging the community and providing platforms for artistic expression, these initiatives help to enrich Victoria’s cultural landscape. VIVAS works to ensure a stable and affordable future for the arts in Victoria by building connections between artists, local and provincial governments, and property owners in the creation of mutually beneficial outcomes, allowing artists and arts organizations to continue to bring colour and vibrancy to the city of Victoria.
Our Mission
Our mission is to acquire, expand, and protect critical arts and cultural spaces through cooperation with public and private sectors. By offering affordable studio and exhibition spaces, free public programming, and educational opportunities, we provide a dynamic and supportive environment for artistic growth and community engagement.
Our Vision
We envision a future where artists of all backgrounds and financial means have the opportunity to create, exhibit, and grow. Through affordability, inclusivity, and community engagement, VIVAS strives to make Vancouver Island a leader in accessible and diverse artistic expression.
Our Mandate
Our society's purposes are:
1. To advance the public’s appreciation of the visual arts by producing public arts exhibitions, presentations, programming, and performance arts events and by providing forums for qualified artists to exhibit, present, or perform their artistic works through participation in such events.
2. To preserve and promote the development of, and excellence in, the visual arts industry in Canada by providing facilities and production spaces, to enable artists to train and produce their crafts, and by making such art facilities available to non-profit organizations with similar purposes, where such facilities are otherwise difficult to access, or not otherwise available.
3. To preserve and promote the practice of the visual arts industry in British Columbia, and maintain high standards in that industry, by:
-making available to artists the specialized tools or facilities needed to practice their craft;
-establishing and maintaining best practices and standards of workmanship and design;
-developing and offering artist residencies for marginalized artists.
4. To do all such things as are incidental and ancillary to the attainment of the above charitable purposes.
Board of Directors
Sarah Todd - Board Chair
Neville Gibson - Vice President
Tael Smolski - Treasurer
Carla Sorrell - Secretary
Natalie Rollins - Director
Staff
Logan Ford - Founder, Executive Director
Anne-Sophie Cournoyer - Communications Manager
Leanne Olson - Vault Gallery Director
