New Exhibition Begins ECU Centennial Events by Showcasing Impact + Legacy of Arts Education Across Communities
Ian Wallace at Or Gallery. (Photo courtesy Laiwan / Or Gallery)
Posted on | Updated
En Route: mobile forms of art and education opens at 6 PM on Sept. 11 at the Libby Leshgold Gallery with a free, public reception.
A new exhibition at the Libby Leshgold Gallery at Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) celebrates the university’s centennial year with an exploration of ECU’s role in supporting creative education throughout local communities and beyond.
Opening Sept. 11, 2025, at 6 PM, En Route: mobile forms of art and education brings together historical and contemporary source materials, media and artworks.
“As we embark on ECU’s centennial anniversary as a public university for art and design, En Route acknowledges the incredible role ECU has had in fostering art and design education in Canada and abroad,” says Vanessa Kwan, Director + Curator, Gallery + Exhibitions at ECU.
“This exhibition is above all a celebration of the possibilities of a porous classroom and the many ways artists have experimented with the form through practices of mutual support, space creation, and radical dissemination.”
The ECU Printmobile in the garage. (Photo courtesy ECU Archives)
Beginning in the ECU Archives, En Route takes inspiration from a now-legendary Outreach Program aimed at bringing creative education to communities across the province. Programs including the travelling Printmobile, distance-learning Telecourses distributed on VHS tape, and a touring BC Young Artists biennial are among the initiatives on view.
“These histories and practices explore the significance of artist-led classrooms and informal learning environments, and trace their impacts and legacies across communities,” Vanessa says.
En Route also features items by ECU alums, faculty and community members whose work embodies themes of expanded learning beyond the classroom. Such initiatives include Ian Wallace’s International Visiting Artist Program, Laiwan’s launch of Or Gallery, artist Patrick Cruz’s inaugural Kamias Triennial, and the establishment of arts organizations Avenue, Duplex Arts Society and Moniker Press.
Kamias Triennial seating. (Photo courtesy Patrick Cruz)
Additional public programming connected to the exhibition will include:
- Oct. 16 - a feature conversation between ECU President + Vice Chancellor Dr. Trish Kelly and celebrated artist Ian Wallace, OOC;
- Oct. 23 – a tour with ECU archivist Kristy Waller;
- Oct. 29 – a panel discussion with Kara Ditte Hansen, Scott Kemp, Jordan Milner (Avenue/Duplex) and Patrick Cruz (Kamias Triennial); and
- Nov. 1 – an offsite talk with Erica Wilk of Moniker Press at Moniker’s home in the Sun Wah Centre.
En Route’s opening reception begins at 6 PM on Sept. 11 at the Libby Leshgold Gallery, with the exhibition on view during regular gallery hours through Nov. 16, 2025.
Attendance at all events is free and open to the public.
Visit ECU’s centennial hub and follow us on Instagram for more information on all of our upcoming events.