Vancouver Arts and Leisure Committed to Rebuild
After a successful December, including their popular New Year’s events, one of Vancouver’s favorite LGBTQ2+ event spaces has fallen victim to arson. On the morning of January 4, at approximately 10:40 AM, Vancouver Arts and Leisure (VAL) property was trespassed and fire was set to some port-a-potties just outside the venue causing the fire to spread to the exterior and interior causing significant damage to the building.
According to some, this is possibly the third fire within a small radius in the area around Railway, and VAL has had to deal with adversity in the past, including venue changes and robbery. Now staff and artists are without the use of the space and face financial burden.
VAL issued a press release on January 4, to address the situation.
“After speaking with investigators on the scene, it was found that VAL is not at fault and is the victim of a suspected arson.
We do not know what the motive for this senseless act may have been but it is not our first adversity and we hope to recover.
We must postpone some upcoming events while we determine the best course forward. We plan to engage our 20+ staff, and the dozens artists who rely on this space.
During this difficult time we thank you for your understanding. We estimate with your support we can be operational again in 2 months and come back stronger than ever”.
You can donate to our GoFund campaign and help us provide the following remedies in our interim,
Your donations will be going towards the following:
24-hr security until electrical can be repaired
Provisions for 20 plus staff that are out of work for 6+ weeks
The cost of lost business
Insurance Costs
Donate Here:
https://www.gofundme.com/lets-rebuild-val
About VAL.
The Vancouver Art and Leisure Society is a radical artist run organization devoted to presentation, programming, and advocacy of art and leisure in unconventional spaces and ways in Vancouver. We believe art and leisure should not be limited by space but by idea.
We present professional projects and happenings to the public with no discrimination in terms of artistic intent or discipline. We promote all realms of artistic, sexual and political expression both personal and external. We believe in growing artists of all disciplines through the highest caliber of programming possible.
We envision a world class city with an innovative approach to art and leisure, breaking down barriers of access, providing meaningful connection, and knowledge sharing among the public and artists.
Keep up to date with VAL on their Facebook page here.
