From sculptors and ceramicists to animators and digital-media creatives, Vancouver is home to a thriving, vast arts community. Among emerging artists, the ideas coming out of Emily Carr University of Art + Design are daring and diverse. And yet while up-and-coming artists bring forth all sorts of projects that open people’s eyes and minds, they don’t always have the opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience in the daily operation of studios, galleries, and production spaces. Even rarer is being paid for that kind of work.

An exciting new initiative is about to change that.

It’s called the Art Apprenticeship Network, and it’s run by ECU’s Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship, which helps artists incorporate practical and logistical skills into their design practices. Born out of a gift from the RBC Foundation, the three-year initiative will see 14 students per year placed as paid assistants with local working artists, curators, and cultural-sector professionals.

Read the rest of the article on the Georgia Straight