Inaugural Culture Crawl a hit with local artists

The autumn leaves shifting towards an amber and orange hue was not the only extra splash of colour in the Peace Arch Peninsula last fall.

The cities of Surrey and White Rock partnered on a first-of-its-kind Culture Crawl at the beginning of October, a two-day festival that featured art exhibits, historical tours and musical events among other festivities spread across 25 venues in the two communities.

It was a long time coming for the bustling art community in both White Rock and South Surrey, says Trish McEvoy, a visual artist based in Crescent Beach who held an artist talk and multiple workshops at her studio during Culture Crawl. 

“We had such an overwhelming response,” McEvoy said. “It was about engaging with the community and with each other. It really worked.” 

The festival, which was first announced in August, was praised by the mayors of both cities, calling it an important milestone for artists south of the Fraser River. “This event shines a spotlight on the incredible talent within our community,” wrote White Rock Mayor Megan Knight in a press release.

The festivities were held in six spots between the two cities: Uptown, Centennial neighbourhood, Kent Street neighbourhood, White Rock Beach, Crescent Beach and multiple other venues in South Surrey. 

McEvoy, who has lived in Crescent Beach for about 20 years, hosted an artist talk and collage and image transferring workshops in her personal studio. Image transfer is a process where a printed image is copied onto another surface like fabric or a canvas. 

More than 100 people attended the sessions over the Culture Crawl — a figure that surprised McEvoy and the other local artists in attendance.

The high turnout was likely due to the number of interactive workshops and an emphasis on putting on a “casual show,” as opposed to a more formal exhibit where people may be expected to be quiet, view or purchase items, McEvoy said. 

“There’s a band playing, a workshop going on, there’s all this fun happening,” she said. “It’s quite warm and inviting.” 

The pressure was off the artists too. None of the four artists at McEvoy’s studio, located at 2770 McKenzie Ave, were pressured to make new pieces of artwork for the Culture Crawl. 

They simply tasked themselves with sharing their creative process to an audience willing to listen. 

One artist, for example, who normally worked alone, was overwhelmed with joy at the end of the weekend after working in a collaborative environment, McEvoy said. A daughter that participated in a workshop with her father also shared how one workshop inspired her to learn other forms of art.

“We set it up so they would feel they could come in and interact with whatever was in there,” she said. “And they don’t have to stare at something on a wall or feel like they should be buying something.” 

South Surrey and White Rock are two of the latest communities in the Lower Mainland to launch an arts-themed walk. 

In 2023, following a local artist’s query, Port Moody brought back an art show, the Port Moody Art Shuffle, for the first time in five years. More than 100 artists took part in the shuffle last year. 

Vancouver has held its own public art walk, West of Main, since 1993. The event, which features pop-up venues and private studios from Point Grey to Main Street, is free to the public and provides many intimate settings for people to ask artists about their work, according to a description of the festival.

East Vancouver also hosts its own annual art crawl in the Strathcona and Grandview-Woodland neighbourhoods.  

This year’s Culture Crawl reminded McEvoy of a Vancouver-like art walk, where resident’s turn out in droves and artists block off a certain weekend to share their creativity with the community.

“I used to live in Vancouver, it’s a pretty strong scene there,” McEvoy said. “We’re creating that here. It’s not just a bunch of old hobby painters anymore. There’s lots of stuff happening.” 

North Surrey runs its own public artwalk, but the south side of the city has never had an art event to call its own before the Culture Crawl. (White Rock previously held its own culture crawl, before incorporating South Surrey this year.)

Despite the success at her Culture Crawl event, McEvoy heard of other locations that were sparsely attended. The turnout at each venue may vary, however, she says the organizers should consider the proximity between locations and promote walkability. 

“That works for the East Van culture crawl, you can walk all over the place,” she said. “Maybe they’ll be more judicious in choosing their venues so people don’t have to drive around.” 

It remains unclear whether the Culture Crawl will return next year. An event organizer told McEvoy that it may return in 2025 if this year’s event went well. But regardless of the future, McEvoy believes artists and the South Surrey community are willing to support a recurring art festival. 

“I honestly think if they support the artists, provide us with a bit of promotion, I think the artists have it to get themselves together,” she said. 

“The people do a really good job.”