Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery

The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery is mandated to promote understanding and discussion of contemporary art and contemporary issues in art history, criticism, and curating. This mandate is realized through research, exhibitions, acquisitions, publishing, education, and public and academic programs in the field of contemporary art with a focus on our region within a national and international context. As a university art gallery, the Belkin is committed to a research mandate, an international perspective, and to the goal of fostering a civil society.

The Belkin seeks to explore the ways in which the practice of contemporary art is in itself a form of research that produces knowledge. Through exhibitions, publications, events, and programs, they raise awareness and encourage debate in the field of contemporary art. Through their collections, the Belkin contributes to an understanding of the Canadian avant-garde of the 1960s and 1970s, the international network developed at that time and its role in the art of today. Across all media and disciplines they emphasize practices and projects that challenge the status quo, support emerging artists and practices, and present artist-initiated projects.

The Belkin’s collection contains more than 5,000 artworks, making it one of the largest public art collections in the province. The Belkin also holds over 20,000 archival items relating to the post-war history of art in Vancouver and the avant-garde narratives of the 1960s to 1970s.