Downtown Eastside Vancouver
History of Artistrun
Co-founded in 2000 - Donated to The Art Party in 2010
Dr. Lycia Trouton and Liza Lee met in 2000 at the SEARCH program at the Alliance for Arts. They were invited to participate in the Blood Alley public art project in the Downtown Eastside Vancouver by the Gastown Business Improvement Association (BIA). They discussed seeding the project with a Canada Council grant: Artistrun.org would co-produce the Gastown Art Fair (GAF) 2001 with the Gastown BIA and create a permanent public piece in Blood Alley, Gastown.
The project was called “Private and Public Collaborations”, a joint artistic vision by Liza Lee and Lycia Trouton. Liza would oversee the website, while Lycia would direct the public art sculpture. Both the website and the public art project will integrate the themes of the circle, worry stones and the shopping cart. The circle represents the network economy of the internet and the cooperation of the arts, business and community in Downtown Eastside Vancouver.
Worry stones are the ancient Chinese tradition that is handed down from generation to generation in the familial domain. The imagery of a worry stone in a public sculpture elevates the private practice to a public display. Finally, the shopping car represents the internet economy. Ecommerce sites utilize the shopping cart icon for online buying. Ironically, the shopping cart is also the symbol of homelessness, which is prevalent in the Gastown area. By integrating the circle, worry stones and shopping cart, the website and public sculpture are symbiotic and will give voice for both visual artists and the homeless in Downtown Eastside Vancouver.
Both the new media and the traditional art works will utilize the following colours: bronze, earth tones and black. Bronze is the colour of coins and therefore, ecommerce as related to the shopping cart image. Earth tones represent the organice quality of the public aspect of the internet and the private practice of worry stones. Finally, black signifies the neutral backdrop of art and the impartiality of the internet created by the lack of spatial, temporal, social and geographical boundaries.
Artistrun.org Fundraised with Shooting Stars Foundation
Artistrun.org successfully fundraised with Shooting Stars Foundation in 2000 and 2001. Shooting Stars Foundation provides produces unique special events with passion, integrity and innovation to raise money for people living with HIV/AIDS. The charity has built an ever-growing family of local, national and international artists and celebrities to be a part of a variety of theatrical and creative fundraising extravaganzas that are both innovative and beneficial for everyone involved. The artists acquire added exposure and networking opportunities, the foundation’s charities receive desperately needed funds, the sponsors garner massive media and community visibility and our audiences enjoy professionally produced stellar events that entertain in a myriad of ways.
Downtown Eastside Vancouver