Loaded Bow

The Cheaper Show is in it’s 8th year and is being held on Saturday night at Storyeum in Gastown, Vancouver.  The show’s premise it to gain exposure for 150 emerging and underexposed artists and to show 300 + international, quality works selling them for $200 each, bringing in hundreds of buyers and throwing the ultimate party top it all off! 

Megan Cole with 2008 Cheaper Poster (she’s going too)

The Executive Director is Graeme Berglun who is one of Vancouver’s most forward thinkers when it comes to art, it’s markets, dissemination and presentation/accessibility to the masses.  Last years show saw over 1500 people at the fab venue, the Porsche Dealership on Third.  Not only is Graeme a top-notch curator and assembler of the annual Cheaper Show, but his own work had it’s own solo Vancouver debut at the Douglas Udell Gallery in 2005.  This body of work was a series entitled “The Mongrel Corridors” which featured uncannily realistic acrylic paintings of alleyways in Vancouver’s east end.  They were not only hauntingly beautiful enough to capture the attention of Udell, but also raised the bar for Graeme, challenging him to continue making the stunning work he does.  Graeme aspires to engage audiences through art, performance, literature and sound. His multifaceted career includes designing the CD cover for local indie band the Castle Project, drafting illustrations for The Georgia Straight, performing with his band and consulting on the interior design show “Love It or Lose It.”  The Cheaper Show has been a hit every year running and this year’s biggest one yet is no doubt be garunteed to be a huge hit with buyers and the art community at large. 

Greame is not alone in Cheaper’s success, but thrives because of the AWESOME team he has alongside him through all of the Cheaper’s set-up and execution.  Producer Heidi Iro is the creator of Trick17 Productions and her first brand event The Trick17 Stop Motion Film Competition is a growing success. Heidi and Trick17 Productions are currently developing a number or projects involving the Vancouver artist community.  She is also a member of The Cartelera Talent House.  The Co-Curator Meghan Paterson has some fly tattoos and this lady makes some of the hottest paintings around. 

Megan Paterson Painting

Her strong desire for seeking out talent, her involvement in the Cheaper Shows and assembling the discreet nomadic space called Mercy Gallery set her apart as an art maven.  Her mad skills include the difficult (near obsolete) talent of being highly skilled in portraiture and she is also a member of The Cartelera Talent House.  Executive Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator this year is Zoe Peled.  Since her recent grad from ECIAD, Zoe was one of several ECIAD students to open Plank Gallery. Situated in the DTES, Plank aims to contribute towards the revitalization of the community through the arts, offering opportunity for artists on an equal level. Zoe writes for the Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art, in addition to several local arts publications. For over a year, she has sat on the board for CARFAC BC, a national organization that defends the legal and economic rights of artists. Headed towards a curatorial career, Zoe has worked with the Vancouver Art Gallery & Jeffrey Boone. She does freelance photography, writing, and simultaneously, aims to save every animal she can.

Art by Cheaper’s Andre Pinces

That said, we will be interviewing the ladies of the Cheaper Show for a run down of how they assemble the whole show, how they pulled off getting to be in the massive Storyeum and how they find it working together in our upcoming partnership month of JULY!  Come tomorrow to enjoy the art, the prices and possibly a glass of wine or two.  The party goes from 7 till midnight, but the buying line up begins at 5 pm-ish with a preview from 2 to 4.

Note:  Remember that Water St. is closed to cars for the Jazz Festival.

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