Our Story

Arts and culture shape how we connect, create, and belong.


The Islands Arts and Culture Land Trust of BC Society is working to secure permanent, affordable space for artists and non-profit arts organizations—starting with the 722 Johnson Street cultural space project in downtown Victoria. By creating and protecting cultural spaces from displacement and speculation, we are building a future where arts and culture are treated as essential community infrastructure, here to serve the public for generations. Watch the video below to learn about this intitiative, why we are doing this, and how you can help.

722 Johnson Street Cultural Space Project
Victoria Arts Sustainability Coalition video

Creative communities need more than passion—they need places to work, gather, and welcome the public. The Islands Arts and Culture Land Trust of BC Society is securing permanent cultural space in British Columbia, beginning in downtown Victoria, so arts and culture can remain visible, accessible, and valued over the long term. Below are the key points about the challenge, solution, who is leading the project, the community benefits and more!

The Challenge

Artists and arts organizations in Victoria face a long-standing, structural problem: the lack of affordable, stable, accessible, and appropriate space to work and serve the public.

Many are operating out of bedrooms, garages, temporary venues, or short-term leases that can end with little notice. This instability limits public access to arts and culture, reduces income opportunities for artists, contributes to burnout in the sector, and weakens downtown vitality.

This is not an individual problem — it is a community infrastructure challenge.

The Solution

The Victoria Arts Sustainability Coalition (VASC) is renovating two floors at 722 Johnson Street to create a permanent, shared arts and culture facility in the heart of downtown Victoria.

This current phase focuses on building the physical foundation:

  • Public art galleries and a street-level shop
  • Affordable artist studios and shared workspaces
  • Classrooms for workshops and learning
  • Offices for non-profit arts organizations
  • Community meeting and gathering spaces

This project is the first step in a longer-term strategy that also includes creating a cultural land trust, strengthening shared staffing capacity, and securing sustainable funding for operations and human resources.

Who’s Leading

The project is led by the Victoria Arts Sustainability Coalition, a group of long-standing, non-profit arts organizations with more than 100 years of combined service to the community, including:

  • Xchanges Gallery and Studios (founded 1967)
  • Victoria Arts Council (1968)
  • Vancouver Island School of Art (2000)
  • Flux Media Gallery / MediaNet (1984)
  • Errant Art Space (2017)

These organizations are choosing collaboration over competition — sharing space, resources, and risk to build long-term resilience for the arts sector.

Community Benefits

This project delivers real cultural, social, and economic value:

  • Up to 300% increase in public access to exhibitions
  • Public hours expand from ~30 hours/month to 100+ hours/month
  • Creation of new arts and culture sector jobs
  • Increased paid opportunities for artists, instructors, and cultural workers
  • Direct income for artists and artisans through exhibitions and a retail shop
  • Increased foot traffic and positive daily activity downtown

Arts and culture are essential civic infrastructure — supporting mental health, social connection, and a vibrant local economy.

Accessibility, Safety & Climate Action

The renovated building meets current codes and modern standards, including:

  • Automated entry doors and universal washrooms
  • Elevator access to all public spaces
  • Secure access for artists and staff
  • Fire-rated separations and modern life-safety systems

By reusing an existing building, the project preserves embodied carbon and reduces construction waste. The site is on major bus routes, includes secure bike parking, and is easily walkable — supporting climate action through everyday choices.

Broad Community Support

This project has generated exceptional public and sector-wide support.

  • A front-page feature in the Times Colonist highlighted the project as part of a growing downtown arts district
  • Over 200 people attended the Open House on June 22, 2025, including:
    • The Honourable Diana Gibson, MLA
    • Brian McBay, Executive Director of 221A (Vancouver) and a provincial leader in cultural land trusts
    • City of Victoria Councillors
    • Leadership from the BC Arts Council
    • Capital Regional District (CRD) arts and culture staff
    • Dozens of artists, arts organizations, and community members

At a follow-up Town Hall, many respondents from the Expression of Interest process returned to learn more, ask questions, and show continued support.

Engagement data shows:

  • Nearly 100 individuals and organizations participated in Expressions of Interest
  • Strong demand for affordable, accessible, transit-connected space
  • High readiness to move in once space becomes available

This is a community-identified solution to a community-identified need.

Looking Ahead: Building a Cultural Land Trust

This renovation is only the beginning.

The long-term vision is to establish a Cultural Land Trust — a proven model used in cities across Canada and internationally to secure arts and cultural spaces permanently for community benefit.

A Cultural Land Trust:

  • Removes cultural spaces from speculation and displacement
  • Holds property in trust for public and community use
  • Ensures long-term affordability for artists and non-profit organizations
  • Allows arts organizations to plan decades ahead, not lease-to-lease

The Victoria Arts Sustainability Coalition is working with provincial leaders in this field to explore governance, financing, and stewardship models that will allow 722 Johnson Street — and future sites — to remain cultural space in perpetuity.

The goal is not just to open a building, but to change the underlying system that keeps pushing artists and cultural organizations out of the city. This project lays the groundwork for a future where arts and culture are treated as essential civic infrastructure, like libraries or community centres — protected, valued, and here to stay.

Our Story

Arts and culture shape how we connect, create, and belong.


The Islands Arts and Culture Land Trust of BC Society is working to secure permanent, affordable space for artists and non-profit arts organizations—starting with the 722 Johnson Street cultural space project in downtown Victoria. By creating and protecting cultural spaces from displacement and speculation, we are building a future where arts and culture are treated as essential community infrastructure, here to serve the public for generations. Watch the video below to learn about this intitiative, why we are doing this, and how you can help.

722 Johnson Street Cultural Space Project
Victoria Arts Sustainability Coalition video

Creative communities need more than passion—they need places to work, gather, and welcome the public. The Islands Arts and Culture Land Trust of BC Society is securing permanent cultural space in British Columbia, beginning in downtown Victoria, so arts and culture can remain visible, accessible, and valued over the long term. Below are the key points about the challenge, solution, who is leading the project, the community benefits and more!

The Challenge

Artists and arts organizations in Victoria face a long-standing, structural problem: the lack of affordable, stable, accessible, and appropriate space to work and serve the public.

Many are operating out of bedrooms, garages, temporary venues, or short-term leases that can end with little notice. This instability limits public access to arts and culture, reduces income opportunities for artists, contributes to burnout in the sector, and weakens downtown vitality.

This is not an individual problem — it is a community infrastructure challenge.

The Solution

The Victoria Arts Sustainability Coalition (VASC) is renovating two floors at 722 Johnson Street to create a permanent, shared arts and culture facility in the heart of downtown Victoria.

This current phase focuses on building the physical foundation:

  • Public art galleries and a street-level shop
  • Affordable artist studios and shared workspaces
  • Classrooms for workshops and learning
  • Offices for non-profit arts organizations
  • Community meeting and gathering spaces

This project is the first step in a longer-term strategy that also includes creating a cultural land trust, strengthening shared staffing capacity, and securing sustainable funding for operations and human resources.

Who’s Leading

The project is led by the Victoria Arts Sustainability Coalition, a group of long-standing, non-profit arts organizations with more than 100 years of combined service to the community, including:

  • Xchanges Gallery and Studios (founded 1967)
  • Victoria Arts Council (1968)
  • Vancouver Island School of Art (2000)
  • Flux Media Gallery / MediaNet (1984)
  • Errant Art Space (2017)

These organizations are choosing collaboration over competition — sharing space, resources, and risk to build long-term resilience for the arts sector.

Community Benefits

This project delivers real cultural, social, and economic value:

  • Up to 300% increase in public access to exhibitions
  • Public hours expand from ~30 hours/month to 100+ hours/month
  • Creation of new arts and culture sector jobs
  • Increased paid opportunities for artists, instructors, and cultural workers
  • Direct income for artists and artisans through exhibitions and a retail shop
  • Increased foot traffic and positive daily activity downtown

Arts and culture are essential civic infrastructure — supporting mental health, social connection, and a vibrant local economy.

Accessibility, Safety & Climate Action

The renovated building meets current codes and modern standards, including:

  • Automated entry doors and universal washrooms
  • Elevator access to all public spaces
  • Secure access for artists and staff
  • Fire-rated separations and modern life-safety systems

By reusing an existing building, the project preserves embodied carbon and reduces construction waste. The site is on major bus routes, includes secure bike parking, and is easily walkable — supporting climate action through everyday choices.

Broad Community Support

This project has generated exceptional public and sector-wide support.

  • A front-page feature in the Times Colonist highlighted the project as part of a growing downtown arts district
  • Over 200 people attended the Open House on June 22, 2025, including:
    • The Honourable Diana Gibson, MLA
    • Brian McBay, Executive Director of 221A (Vancouver) and a provincial leader in cultural land trusts
    • City of Victoria Councillors
    • Leadership from the BC Arts Council
    • Capital Regional District (CRD) arts and culture staff
    • Dozens of artists, arts organizations, and community members

At a follow-up Town Hall, many respondents from the Expression of Interest process returned to learn more, ask questions, and show continued support.

Engagement data shows:

  • Nearly 100 individuals and organizations participated in Expressions of Interest
  • Strong demand for affordable, accessible, transit-connected space
  • High readiness to move in once space becomes available

This is a community-identified solution to a community-identified need.

Looking Ahead: Building a Cultural Land Trust

This renovation is only the beginning.

The long-term vision is to establish a Cultural Land Trust — a proven model used in cities across Canada and internationally to secure arts and cultural spaces permanently for community benefit.

A Cultural Land Trust:

  • Removes cultural spaces from speculation and displacement
  • Holds property in trust for public and community use
  • Ensures long-term affordability for artists and non-profit organizations
  • Allows arts organizations to plan decades ahead, not lease-to-lease

The Victoria Arts Sustainability Coalition is working with provincial leaders in this field to explore governance, financing, and stewardship models that will allow 722 Johnson Street — and future sites — to remain cultural space in perpetuity.

The goal is not just to open a building, but to change the underlying system that keeps pushing artists and cultural organizations out of the city. This project lays the groundwork for a future where arts and culture are treated as essential civic infrastructure, like libraries or community centres — protected, valued, and here to stay.