ArtSpring

05/28/2026

CALL FOR DONATIONS! Have a treasure that needs a new home? Downsize your collection and support Salt Spring’s arts community in the process by donating your items to ARTSPRING TREASURE FAIR 2026, ArtSpring’s biggest fundraiser of the year!

Each summer, we auction off a trove bursting with:

-Professional services (massage, hairstyling, etc)
-Furniture
-Housewares
-Jewelry
-Books
-Gift certificates
-Art
-Travel packages
-And the occasional big-ticket item! (Last year, our crown jewels were a handmade sailboat and a 2004 Steinway & Sons piano!)

The deadline to donate your items to the silent auction is Wednesday, June 17th. To learn more and donate, please visit treasurefair.artspring.ca or email [email protected].

05/21/2026

This is where it all begins for so many of our Island musicians! Join us on Friday (22 May) at 7.00pm for the Makana Youth Choirs’ Spring Concert, where singers from Grade 2 to Grade 8 will share pieces from across cultures and languages – some poignant, some humorous, and all a joy to watch and hear.

Tickets available from the ArtSpring Box Office and at https://artspring.ca/event/makana-youth-choirs-spring-concert-2/

05/15/2026

“It was magical!”

Connections were made. Young adults were inspired. Wisdom was shared. People left ‘Icons: A Panel Discussion’ with hope and positivity.

Our heartfelt thanks go to Elizabeth May for moderating, and to panelists Sindhu Mahadevan, Brenna Corner and Shazhan Amed – and of course to our incredible curator .

The Icons panel ran concurrently with Homage, a unique, beautiful and powerful exhibition of 40 tailor-made and exquisite necklaces designed and created for 40 of Canada’s most iconic women.

Even if you missed the panel, there’s still time to visit Homage, at the ArtSpring Gallery until May 22 - and to join us for our Amazing Island Women panel discussion on May 21st at 1:00pm.

https://artspring.ca/event/artspring-presents-homage/

05/12/2026

Congratulations to Susan Benson on the opening of Homage and for her 2026 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement! This award recognizes artists who have made an integral contribution to Canada’s cultural landscape. Very well deserved, Susan—we are lucky to have you!

05/12/2026

Congratulations to Susan Benson on the opening of Homage and for her 2026 Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement! This award recognizes artists who have made an integral contribution to Canada's cultural landscape. Very well deserved, Susan—we are lucky to have you!

05/11/2026

Join us for the 𝐈𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝟏𝐩𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲! Moderated by Elizabeth May, this hopeful discussion prompts women leading in their chosen fields on how they succeeded to where they are today, their visions and hopes for the future, and their advice to women aiming to succeed in our 21st century world. Entrance by donation.

This panel discussion is presented in concurrence with HOMAGE, a powerful exhibition of 40 tailor-made and exquisite necklaces designed and created for 40 of Canada’s most iconic women.

𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬:
-Brenna Corner, Artistic Director of Pacific Opera Victoria
-Natalie Telewiak, Principal Architect at MG Architecture in Vancouver
-Dr. Shazhan Amed, Clinical Researcher and Paediatric Endocrinologist at BC Children’s Hospital

05/10/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out on Friday evening to make the HOMAGE opening reception so special! What a gorgeous celebration. We'll see you 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝟏:𝟎𝟎 for the 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 with metalsmith Donald A. Stuart and Homage curator Susan Benson!

05/08/2026

HOMAGE opens today in the ArtSpring Gallery! Join us at the opening reception from 5pm-7pm to celebrate the arrival of these gorgeous works of art. Attendees are encouraged to dress up in their most dramatic jewelry.

This 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝟓:𝟎𝟎𝐩𝐦, join acclaimed metalsmith Donald A. Stuart and Salt Spring's own Susan Benson to celebrate the opening of 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 at ArtSpring! Put on your finest jewelry, enjoy a glass of wine, and dive into the histories of extraordinary Canadian women through stunning sculpture.

Made by Stuart and curated by Benson, Homage is a powerful exhibition of 40 tailor-made and exquisite necklaces designed and created for 40 of Canada’s most iconic women. Each necklace is displayed beside a biography and portrait of the honouree, hand-drawn by Benson, who has just been selected for a 2026 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.

To capture each woman's essence in necklace form, Stuart used a wide range of colours, textures, and materials. For example, Kwanlin Dün elder and former Yukon commissioner Judy Gingell's necklace incorporates gold nuggets, moose hair, mastodon ivory, glass beads, and caribou antler to evoke the mountainous Yukon landscape against an aurora-streaked sky. For jazz legend Diana Krall, he crafted a bold collar from antique piano keys and walnut with 14K gold inlay.

Homage has toured Canada’s Eastern Provinces to rave reviews. Salt Spring is its first, and only planned, showing on the West Coast. Come see it at ArtSpring from 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟐𝐧𝐝, open from 10am to 4pm daily. Entrance by donation.

𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 (𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲, 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧):

𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - Friday, May 8th, 5:00-7:00pm
𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 - Sunday, May 10th, 1:00-2:30pm
𝐈𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 - Thursday, May 14th, 1:00-2:30pm
𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 - Thursday, May 21st, 1:00-2:30pm

Image: Necklace for Indigenous poet, performer, and author Pauline Johnson. Photo credit Andre Beneteau.

05/03/2026

Join us tonight at 7:30pm in the gallery to hear the stories crafted in weekend's IGNITE advanced storytelling workshop! Entrance by donation.

Get ready for a weekend of brilliant storytelling at ArtSpring!

In concert with Deb Williams’ intensive three-day advanced workshop, Ignite, we are opening the gallery doors for 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. As Deb says, "You’ll hear stories that are funny, raw, unexpected, and deeply human—stories that make you laugh out loud, catch your breath, and maybe even see yourself in someone else’s life."

𝐎𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝟕:𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐌, Deb Williams hosts a Salt Spring edition of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞, the legendary storytelling slam she founded in 2011. We’ve had so many incredible submissions from locals ready to share their voices!

Then, on 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝟕:𝟑𝟎 𝐏𝐌, come back to hear the 𝐈𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. This is a special opportunity to hear the workshop participants share the moving projects they’ve spent the weekend refining.

𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Come experience the power of a story well told! 🎙️✨

05/03/2026

This 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝟓:𝟎𝟎𝐩𝐦, join acclaimed metalsmith Donald A. Stuart and Salt Spring's own Susan Benson to celebrate the opening of 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 at ArtSpring! Put on your finest jewelry, enjoy a glass of wine, and dive into the histories of extraordinary Canadian women through stunning sculpture.

Made by Stuart and curated by Benson, Homage is a powerful exhibition of 40 tailor-made and exquisite necklaces designed and created for 40 of Canada’s most iconic women. Each necklace is displayed beside a biography and portrait of the honouree, hand-drawn by Benson, who has just been selected for a 2026 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.

To capture each woman's essence in necklace form, Stuart used a wide range of colours, textures, and materials. For example, Kwanlin Dün elder and former Yukon commissioner Judy Gingell's necklace incorporates gold nuggets, moose hair, mastodon ivory, glass beads, and caribou antler to evoke the mountainous Yukon landscape against an aurora-streaked sky. For jazz legend Diana Krall, he crafted a bold collar from antique piano keys and walnut with 14K gold inlay.

Homage has toured Canada’s Eastern Provinces to rave reviews. Salt Spring is its first, and only planned, showing on the West Coast. Come see it at ArtSpring from 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟐𝐧𝐝, open from 10am to 4pm daily. Entrance by donation.

𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 (𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲, 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧):

𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - Friday, May 8th, 5:00-7:00pm
𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 - Sunday, May 10th, 1:00-2:30pm
𝐈𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 - Thursday, May 14th, 1:00-2:30pm
𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 - Thursday, May 21st, 1:00-2:30pm

Image: Necklace for Indigenous poet, performer, and author Pauline Johnson. Photo credit Andre Beneteau.