‘Like a dream come true’: Former office building a haven of affordability for artists in Victoria’s squeezed-out market

From the outside, the former office building at 780 Blanshard seems like a natural choice for a collection of artist studios. The front of the late art deco-style building is adorned with a meandering wildlife mural, done in pastel yellow, blue, and beige on a peach backdrop. Formerly the home of the BC Power Commission, the building has taken on a new, equally electric life as a haven for artists  in a city that’s consistently ranked as one of Canada’s most unaffordable.

Walking through the doors, the vibrancy and creativity taking place within the building’s four floors is palpable. Built in 1949, the nearly 40,000 sq. f structure now provides studio space for 85 artists, four art galleries, five arts and culture non-profit organizations, and four artist-in-residence studios. Prices for studios start at $250/month, with the most expensive space going for $1600.

Creative work bubbles out of the former government offices and into the hallways, many of which now serve as gallery walls. Rockslide Gallery & Studio, the building’s leaseholder, showcases works on the third floor. Logan Ford, a visual artist, is their founder, director, and curator.

“It's like a dream come true. I think for a lot of the artists that work here, it's a better situation than any of us could have ever imagined. We're used to working in cold, windowless, dark rooms, and whatever we can afford. And this is just so nice,” Ford said.

“Everybody gets along really great, and we all have a lot in common. We're all creative-minded people. And there's a huge range of different kinds of artists.”

Logan Ford is a visual artist and founder, director, and curator of Rockslide Gallery & Studio. Photo: Emily Vance / Capital Daily

Rockslide rented out the building in January 2021, moving in alongside The Ministry of Casual Living and Supply Victoria. At first, they occupied just two of the four floors, but as Victoria’s affordability crisis worsened, they quickly found artists to fill the rest of the spaces. The building is also home to Sweetpea Gallery, Haus of Owl, Victoria Tool Library, The Vault Gallery, and an assortment of individual artists.

“The demand just skyrocketed for affordable studio space,” Ford said.

But like all good dreams, this one is temporary–Rockslide’s lease is up in January 2024. After that, current owner Reliance Properties plans on redeveloping the existing building into a 77-room hotel, and adding a 102-unit residential tower, pending approval from the City of Victoria. Reliance purchased the building in 2019 for $14.6 million, and outlined their plans to the city in February 2022.

Despite the looming eviction, Ford said Reliance has been a huge help, offering the building for rent at a price he said is well below market value.

"I don't have any hard feelings, because we would be nowhere without them,” Ford.

That time constraint is nothing new to Ford, who started Rockslide in 2013. The gallery and studio space’s mission has always been to provide affordable studio space, with a focus on emerging artists. Providing that space is no easy feat–780 Blanshard is Rockslide’s fourth lease. As Ford tells it, the artist collective left their first home in Rock Bay after the rent doubled, and their second space—a mouldy abandoned building in Chinatown—was torn down to build condos. Ford still holds the lease on their third location, a studio in Rock Bay that provides space for more industrial arts like welding.

Making space

An important offering of the building is its artist-in-residency programs, which provide free studio space for a rotating selection of artists. Rockslide offers two: one for local Indigenous artists, and one that’s open to anyone. The Ministry of Casual Living hosts a BIPOC artist-in-residence program, and Sweetpea Gallery hosts a residency as well.

Alysha Farling-Futterman is one of Rockslide’s current artists-in-residence. Rounding a corner on the second floor, one comes face to face with Farling-Futterman’s massive contemporary sculptures. The cloud-shaped, multi-coloured arches are dotted with dozens of miniature scenes, neighbourhoods created from found objects and nestled into the nooks and crannies of the fabric.

“This for me, is sort of like the imaginary worlds that I used to go to as a kid,” Farling-Futterman said. “There's a lot of little stories in here.”

Close-up view of Alysha Farling-Futterman's current sculpture work. Photo: Submitted

The archways are constructed with wood, and Farling-Futterman uses chicken wire wrapped in fabric dipped in glue to finish the form of the structures. From there, she carefully builds tiny houses, many of which have their own names, complete with fences and ladders to help the imaginary inhabitants get around.

Though the worlds are whimsical and childlike at first glance, the bits and pieces that make up the scenes convey deeper themes. Objects range from the deeply personal, like the positive pregnancy test that heralded the impending birth of her daughter; to the mundane, like the collections of bottle caps, cigarette butts, and painted pistachio shells; to the bizarre, a deflated balloon that reads “worst party ever.” The more time you spend looking at Farling-Futterman’s work, the more there is to find.

“I get really, really satisfied bringing life to things that no longer have a purpose. It feels sort of like a challenge to me to figure out how I'm going to use them. And sometimes it doesn't make sense. And I like that about it,” Farling-Futterman said.

Given the maximalist stylings of her work and the space it takes up, the lack of affordable space in the city has been a challenge. Farling-Futterman grew up in Victoria, and relies on residency programs like this one to be able to complete her art. When she doesn’t have access to a space that can house her creations, she spends a lot of time thinking and planning her next pieces. Though her work requires a lot of forethought, planning for the future is not an adequate substitute for being able to create when inspiration and intuition strike.

“The city is so expensive, just living is challenging. So then to be able to afford an extra space to make your work, it feels unattainable. More spaces like this are just so necessary,” Farling-Futterman said.

She’s been in the space since the start of November, and will remain there until the end of December. Though having her studio out in the open was nerve-wracking at first, Farling-Futterman said being constantly surrounded by other artists practicing in a variety of disciplines has been a huge plus.

“It's been so nice to see just people doing their thing, being around other people doing their creative stuff, and peeking into studios. I really feel really, really honoured to be able to see people in their process and doing their practices,” Farling-Futterman said.

By artists, for artists

Down in the basement, The Vault Gallery has taken over a 300-square foot concrete walk-in vault that now serves as a showcase for local and emerging artists. Laveen Gammie is the space’s self-described cultural custodian.

A visual arts student at UVic, Gammie said she was first made aware of the vault space by the owner of Sweetpea Gallery. Other people had been passing it up, but when Gammie saw it, she was immediately struck.

“I was like, oh, my God, this is a gallery. This is the coolest gallery space ever. And this needs to be showing art,” Gammie said.

She took a leap of faith, emptying her bank account to pay the rent. Since then, she said Rockslide has taken over paying the studio’s rent, something she is deeply grateful for.

For Gammie, the central role of The Vault is to provide a space for artists to create without prescription or boundaries. That freedom is something she, as an artist herself, values deeply. All she asks is that artists paint the space back to white when they’re finished.

“The Vault is all about taking chances and doing things that you might not usually get to do in those … typical gallery spaces,” Gammie said. ‘It's supposed to feel like an experimental space.”

The Vault Gallery is currently hosting Cassia Powell's show Play Things. Photo: Submitted

Since its inception, The Vault has played host to a number of artists, including painters, photographers, installation artists, and video artists. Each creator gets two weeks to transform the space into an environment of their choosing.

Gammie said she’s grateful for the opportunity to work and provide space for other artists. Though the affordability of the space is a crucial factor, so is the ability to work alongside the community of multidisciplinary artists that call the building home.

“You have a whole building full of artists, full of [a] community that can give you feedback, that can give you direction,” Gammie said. “I just think that's really special.”

Going forward

As for what might happen to the space after the January 2024 deadline, Ford is hopeful that Rockslide will be able to continue on in a new location, though he acknowledges that it will be difficult to find a better space then the one they’re in. He’s recently created a non-profit organization, the Vancouver Island Visual Arts Society (VIVAS), in the hopes of qualifying for grant funding, something he said that Rockslide will need to survive as rents continue to rise.

“I've just come to terms with the impermanence of our spaces, and I don't let it get to me anymore. Just sort of keep grinding and looking at the horizon, and trying to figure out what comes next,” Ford said.

If it weren’t for the affordable space provided by Rockslide, Ford said many artists have told him they would have already left the city. He said many have already left for other places like Montreal, Vancouver, other communities on Vancouver Island, and even as far afield as Mexico.

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The former BC Power Commission building at 780 Blanshard is the temporary home of 85 affordable artist studios, operated by Rockslide Gallery & Studio. Photo: Submitted / Logan Ford

He’s hopeful that the City of Victoria will step in to provide some form of subsidized rent or studio spaces for artists. Without that help, Ford said the city stands to lose its artists and musicians, and with them, its colour and vibrancy.

“If something isn't done about it, people will really notice it when it's too late. We need to be acting now to try to help artists, and keep them in the city,” he said.

For now, that colour and vibrancy remains alive and well in the hallways and studios of 780 Blanshard. Ford, Gammie, and Farling-Futterman all agreed that the importance of art in a community can’t be overstated.

“[Art] is a beautiful way to communicate and to connect with people and talk about challenging things or happy things. We just need art. It's part of life. It is necessary. So we need these spaces,” Farling-Futterman said.

For those looking to experience the space for themselves, the studio is hosting an Open Studio & Holiday Market on Dec. 10 from 2-8pm. All artists in the building will open their studios to the public, and the event will feature interactive art, performance art, DJs, and a bar.