Through 2026 and 2027, the series brings together some of the country’s most impactful practitioners to share their insights and oeuvres with the public.
A new series of events in partnership with the Audain Foundation invites the public to experience the world through the eyes of some of the art world’s most esteemed practitioners.
Held in conjunction with ECU 100, Emily Carr University of Art + Design’s (ECU) centennial celebrations, the 2026 Audain Lecture Series includes workshops, screenings, performances, artists talks and gatherings at keystone arts institutions throughout the City of Vancouver.
“Throughout our centennial year, we’ve emphasized our place in the community – the many ways ECU alumni create impact across the city and across the globe,” says Vanessa Kwan, Director + Curator of Galleries and Exhibitions at ECU. “The Audain Lecture series draws out this thread with an emphasis on learning and creation. You’ll find intimate workshops and newly commissioned performances alongside curated conversations. It’s a love letter to creation, impact and legacy.”
Honouring the longstanding relationship between ECU and the Audain Foundation, the Audain Lecture Series will feature artists and arts professionals including Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun Lets’lo:tseltun (Alum 1983), Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa (BMA 2006), Tania Willard, Zadie Xa (BFA 2007), Jeneen Frei Njootli (BFA 2012), Daina Augaitis, Greg Bellerby (Alum 1973, Curator Emeritus), Kevan Funk (BMA 2011), Skeena Reece and Jason DaSilva (BMA 2001). Events will be held at venues including the Vancouver Art Gallery, Western Front, The Cinematheque, Libby Leshgold Gallery and ECU’s Reliance Theatre.
The Audain Lecture Series is generously supported by the Audain Foundation.
Visit ECU’s events calendar for more information and follow ECU on Instagram to keep up with the latest.
Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun Lets’loltseltun in conversation with Tania Willard
Oct. 8, 2026, 6:30pm
Reliance Theatre
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
ECU alumni and honourary doctorate recipient Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun Lets’lo:tseltun will be in discussion with artist and curator Tania Willard. Yuxweluptun will discuss his relationship to ‘history painting’ as well as the process behind his monumental new painting Global Warming: Wildfire Storms.
The lecture will be followed by a reception in the Libby Leshgold Gallery.
Screening: Hello Destroyer with director Kevan Funk
Oct. 27, 2026, 7pm
The Cinematheque
1131 Howe Street
ECU alumnus (2011) Kevan Funk’s remarkable debut feature, released a decade ago, heralded the arrival of a new wave of talented, arthouse-conversant filmmakers in this province. Offering a timely and uncompromising look at institutionalized violence in our national sport, it treats with intelligence and sensitivity themes of work, masculinity, competition, and failure, and has a great eye and ear for the nuances of small-town Canadian life. The evocative images by cinematographer Benjamin Loeb (Mandy, Dream Scenario) make a significant contribution to the impact of Funk’s rigorous, affecting film, among Canada’s best of the 2010s.
Post-screening Q&A with Kevan Funk moderated by curator Harry Killas, professor and assistant dean of Film + Screen Arts, ECU.
Performance: Jasleen Kaur, Christian Nyampeta & Kivu Ruhorahoza, Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, Skeena Reece and Constantina Zavitsanos
Oct. 29 + 31, 2026
Western Front + Reliance Theatre
Mount Pleasant, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Night follows night, and the two and three-stringed instruments talk to each other is a two-day, multi-modal, multi-sensory assembly that moves across disciplinary and institutional boundaries. Taking inspiration from polyphonic collectives and embodied ritual practices, it brings together the resonant works of Jasleen Kaur, Christian Nyampeta & Kivu Ruhorahoza, Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, Skeena Reece, and Constantina Zavitsanos.
Organized by Libby Leshgold Gallery, Western Front, and the Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory, with additional support from the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery; The Indigenous Initiatives Fund; Critical Image Forum; and the Curatorial Research Cluster at the University of British Columbia.
Visit the event pages for more info on both Day 1 and Day 2 of the performance.
Past, Present, Future | Alumni + Community Event
Nov. 7, 2026, 7pm
Vancouver Art Gallery
750 Hornby Street
We are hosting an alumni and community event as we close out ECU 100. Our alumni have shaped our creative legacy over the past century and will continue to inform its future. We’re eager to show our appreciation with an evening for alumni from every era.
This ticketed event will take place at the Vancouver Art Gallery, featuring music, performances, refreshments and more.
Save the date! Tickets on sale soon.
Sponsored by the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Screening + Artist Talk with Jason Da Silva
Nov. 7, 2026, 7pm
The Cinematheque
1131 Howe Street
Winner of an Emmy for Outstanding Informational Programming, When I Walk is an intimate autobiographical documentary that follows filmmaker Jason DaSilva after he is diagnosed with a severe form of multiple sclerosis at age 25. Candid, personal, and often humorous, When I Walk is a story about adaptation, identity, resilience, and redefining what independence can mean.
After the screening, Jason DaSilva will reflect on his education at ECU and present on AXS Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing accessibility and inclusion for people living with disabilities, of which he is president and founder.
Alumni Present: Daina Augaitis in Conversation with Greg Bellerby
Nov. 19, 2026, 6:30pm
Reliance Theatre
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
ECU Alumna and Governor General’s Award-winning curator Daina Augaitis will be in conversation with long-time Charles H Scott Director Greg Bellerby (Alum 1973) discussing formative moments in curatorial practices in Vancouver, the archive, and the fermentation of ideas and movements in this region – and how they continue to resonate internationally.
100 Years of Creativity: The Stories that Shaped Us
As part of Emily Carr University’s centennial celebrations and our ‘100 Years of Creativity’ campaign, we are sharing stories that spotlight the creativity, resilience and impact of our community over the past 100 years. These stories feature the people, projects, places and ideas that have shaped ECU, reminding us of our shared legacy while inspiring the future. By revisiting past milestones and sharing new ones, we honour the many voices that built our institution and continue to guide its path forward.
For more information about ECU 100 centennial celebrations, upcoming events and stories, visit our webpage.
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