In accordance with Michelle Fu and Brian McBay, there was by no means a grasp plan. The cultural leaders, co-founders of the multifaceted nonprofit arts group 221A, and 2025 co-recipients of an Emily Award from Emily Carr College of Artwork + Design (ECU) say every step occurred organically and thru earnest group engagement.
“Every little thing that is labored for us has come from a honest place of relationship,” says Michelle, 221A’s Head of Admin & Finance. “It is all the time been connecting with individuals first, after which the alternatives come out of these conversations, out of these curiosities, out of individuals’s personal pursuits It is all the time been in relation with others.”
The pair first met throughout their Basis yr at ECU, establishing a friendship that shortly deepened over a shared enthusiasm for locating methods to help and encourage the artistic group outdoors of their diploma research.
Forming the No Artwork collective in 2005 with a gaggle of fellow college students, they started producing one-night-only, extracurricular exhibitions in college areas, usually attracting 100 or extra contributors to their occasions. The No Artwork exhibits continued via their diploma research, that includes practitioners from throughout disciplines.
Hoping to take care of their momentum after commencement, Brian and Michelle signed a lease in Chinatown in 2008, rebranding themselves 221A after the East Georgia Avenue location’s former tackle. They renovated with buddies on a volunteer foundation, finally remodeling the house into an artist-run exhibition venue and studio rental.
In 2011, Michelle and Brian seen a “for lease” signal throughout the road. After prolonged conversations, they determined to take an opportunity on themselves and develop right into a second location.
“It was a giant step,” remembers Brian, 221A’s Government Director. “It was virtually such as you’re a dot and now you are a line. You begin including extra dimensions.”
However the pair had already cast deep ties throughout the nonprofit sector and with Chinatown extra broadly, even resurfacing generational connections with Brian’s ancestors that among the elder locals nonetheless recall.
As they developed their new house, they realized they had been doing work for which each the neighbourhood and the humanities group had been hungry, with over 80 volunteers showing to assist them with this newest renovation.
“A number of it was the connection between Chinatown and the humanities group,” Brian provides. “Having us dealer that relationship and attempt to create solidarity between the humanities group and the preexisting Chinese language Canadian group that has many many years of social infrastructure was distinctive.”
A decade and a half later, 221A has grown that unique, community-centric mannequin into a corporation spanning greater than half a dozen buildings providing studios, working areas and housing. Additionally they present a variety of programming and sources, together with fellowships, libraries, workshops, artist talks, skillshares and the New Growth community garden developed by artist, 221A fellow and 2022 Honorary Degree recipient T’uy’t’tanat-Stop Wyss.
Via their work with authorities and associate organizations, via ongoing initiatives such because the Anti-Racism Data Project, and collaborative tasks equivalent to Sector Equity for Anti-Racism in the Arts (SEARA) and the Cultural Land Trust, Brian and Michelle have proven arts advocacy and group engagement to be on the very centre of their mission and objective.
“Artist’s wants are integral to the making of a metropolis,” Michelle says, noting 221A was based on the assumption that “these voices are vital to pondering otherwise, to altering what must be modified to make this make the world kinder, extra empathetic, extra inquisitive about one another. We’re very invested to find areas, packages, funds and other ways to offer sources.”
Hear extra from Michelle and Brian in our feature video interview on ECU’s YouTube channel. Discover interviews with the remainder of our 2025 awardees alongside all of the movies from this yr’s grad occasions on our ECU Graduation playlist.
