 Hi, art lovers! | | |  | (Jill Stanton/CBC Arts) | | | Let’s say you have a friend coming to town. They love art. (I mean, of course they do. No wonder you're pals.) And they also live for novelty and adventure. What would you tell them to check out? Like, what’s the one local arts attraction that’s an absolute must-see, a spot they could never find anywhere else?
Earlier this summer, I started reaching out to artists and curators around the country, and I asked them how they’d answer that question — or a more formal version of it, anyway. And the tips they shared wound up shaping a very special online project that arrived on the site last week.
It’s called Destination: Art. And whether you’re planning a road trip or just feel like taking a virtual vacation, it’s your cross-country guide to Canada’s hidden gems and secret spots.
What would you like to explore? Roadside attractions? Art in surprising locations? Maybe you’re up for an art hike or a journey into the urban unknown?
You can search 50 incredible attractions by category and location, and in a few cases, CBC Arts got a closer look at what’s happening there. Read feature stories about destinations you can find everywhere from Calgary to Ontario’s cottage country. (More supplemental articles will arrive on the site next week.)
This country is full of remarkable art in unexpected places, and we want our list to keep growing!
Is there a place near you that CBC Arts should know about? Let me know! | | | | | Because we promised you eye candy ... | | | | |  | Nadya Isabella | | More road-trip vibes for you. Summer Storm by Nadya Isabella. | | | | |  | Nicholas Moenich | | Ledge (Graft) by Nicholas Moenich. (The painting is hanging at McBride Contemporain in Montreal as part of its current group show, Vagabond Shoes.) | | | | |  | Dylan Glynn | | Do any of you carry a sketchbook while travelling? I love the diary entries Dylan Glynn (previously seen here) posts to his Instagram, like this colourful scene from a Mexico City trip. | | | | |  | Claire Scherzinger | | Travel to another planet entirely … by way of Markham, Ont. This painting by Claire Scherzinger (seen here) is appearing at the Varley Art Gallery’s sci-fi-themed show, To Go Boldly. It’s on until Sept. 2. | | | | |  | Nicholas Tinkl | | | | | In Sunderland, Ont., visit a fantasyland made of cement, imagination and time. | | | | |  | CBC Arts | | | | | These incredible works of art are free to see, but you’ve probably never noticed them. | | | | |  | Martin Bond | | | | | | | Wild art blooms in this playground for architects, designers and artists. | | |  | Jill Stanton | | Way, way back when I first tabled the idea for Destination: Art, I put a photo of Edmonton’s Lowlands Project Space in my pitch deck. Jill is one of the co-founders of Lowlands — and you bet the place made our final list. Plus Jill agreed to do the illustrations for the story! It was a serendipitous dream of a collaboration IMO, and the piece she drew for CBC Arts is packed with pathways for your eyeballs — winding roads that will direct your gaze toward all sorts of Easter eggs. Rad, right? There’s a feeling of fun and exploration in so much of Jill’s work, including this post I grabbed from her Instagram. It’s a detail from a mural she made for the Heritage Valley transit station in Edmonton. (See a picture of the whole thing here.) | | | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
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I’m Leah Collins, senior writer at CBC Arts. Until next time! | | | | | |
