En Route: mobile forms of art and education opens at 6 PM on Sept. 11 at the Libby Leshgold Gallery with a free, public reception.
A new exhibition at the Libby Leshgold Gallery at Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) celebrates the university’s centennial year with an exploration of ECU’s role in supporting creative education throughout local communities and beyond.
Opening Sept. 11, 2025, at 6 PM, En Route: mobile forms of art and education brings together historical and contemporary source materials, media and artworks.
“As we embark on ECU’s centennial anniversary as a public university for art and design, En Route acknowledges the incredible role ECU has had in fostering art and design education in Canada and abroad,” says Vanessa Kwan, Director + Curator, Gallery + Exhibitions at ECU.
“This exhibition is above all a celebration of the possibilities of a porous classroom and the many ways artists have experimented with the form through practices of mutual support, space creation, and radical dissemination.”
Beginning in the ECU Archives, En Route takes inspiration from a now-legendary Outreach Program aimed at bringing creative education to communities across the province. Programs including the travelling Printmobile, distance-learning Telecourses distributed on VHS tape, and a touring BC Young Artists biennial are among the initiatives on view.
“These histories and practices explore the significance of artist-led classrooms and informal learning environments, and trace their impacts and legacies across communities,” Vanessa says.
En Route also features items by ECU alums, faculty and community members whose work embodies themes of expanded learning beyond the classroom. Such initiatives include Ian Wallace’s International Visiting Artist Program, Laiwan’s launch of Or Gallery, artist Patrick Cruz’s inaugural Kamias Triennial, and the establishment of arts organizations Avenue, Duplex Arts Society and Moniker Press.
Additional public programming connected to the exhibition will include:
- Oct. 16 – a feature conversation between ECU President + Vice Chancellor Dr. Trish Kelly and celebrated artist Ian Wallace, OOC
- Oct. 23 – a tour with ECU archivist Kristy Waller
- Oct. 29 – a panel discussion with Kara Ditte Hansen, Scott Kemp, Jordan Milner (Avenue/Duplex) and Patrick Cruz (Kamias Triennial)
- Nov. 1 – an offsite talk with Erica Wilk of Moniker Press at Moniker’s home in the Sun Wah Centre.
En Route’s opening reception begins at 6 PM on Sept. 11 at the Libby Leshgold Gallery, with the exhibition on view during regular gallery hours through Nov. 16, 2025.
Attendance at all events is free and open to the public.
Visit ECU’s centennial hub and follow us on Instagram for more information on all of our upcoming events.
100 Years in the Making
This exhibition has been curated in support of ECU 100, Emily Carr University of Art + Design’s centennial anniversary.
About Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) is where creativity meets practice. As Canada’s leading art and design university, ECU offers hands-on, practice-based learning that equips students to experiment, take risks and drive innovation.
Since 1925, ECU has championed bold ideas and emerging talent through a close-knit, interdisciplinary environment that connects students with award-winning faculty, cutting-edge facilities, studio spaces and real-world opportunities. Based in Vancouver, ECU serves more than 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students, with thousands more engaged through continuing studies.
About the Libby Leshgold Gallery at ECU
The Libby Leshgold Gallery is a public art gallery dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art. Located within Emily Carr University of Art + Design, the gallery serves a broad and varied community that includes the students, faculty and staff of the university, the arts community, the public of Greater Vancouver, and visitors from around the world. Our projects involve the public, university and artistic community in a dialogue about the development of critical practice in art and design.
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