Our Story

Founded in 1979, as a non-profit charitable organization, Arts Umbrella was an endeavor buoyed by the dream of five passionate artists and parents. Their dream was to instill in all children a love of the arts and to inspire young people to become confident, creative, and compassionate citizens.

Over the course of almost five decades, Arts Umbrella has evolved into Canada’s largest multi-disciplinary arts education centre – a dynamic, creative hub, where young people ages 2-22 across Metro Vancouver have the opportunity to cultivate their creativity in Art & Design, Theatre, Music & Film and Dance.

Accessibility to arts education is at the core of everything we do. We believe that  every young person should have equal opportunity to access a high-quality arts education regardless of economic or social circumstance. This belief has manifested in almost 75% of the 20,0000 students reached annually, served through bursaries, scholarships, and donor-funded community programs every year. – because we believe arts education is truly life-changing.

We have come a long way, thanks to the dedicated support of our community that have joined us on this journey, although our mission remains the same; for young people to have a safe space to access arts education, empowering them to gain self-confidence, develop self-discipline, and discover creative expression—qualities they carry with them for life.

Join us, and make a difference today.

Want to learn more about Arts Umbrella’s story? Download our book Art Transcends – The Early Years of Arts Umbrella and the Founding of Splash.