The Georgia Straight proudly sponsors the Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival

On August 11 and 12, the Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival comes to the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews).

The inaugural festival aims to increase awareness about outsider artists, who are self-taught or have little to no contact with the mainstream art world, and to challenge stereotypes about who and what art counts in the art world.

Art lovers can take advantage of an exhibition and sale of art by over 75 artists with interactive demonstrations and 25 performing artists. There's also a business of art workshop and a learning lab for artists on collaborating with a marginalized community to create performance work.

Festival artistic director Pierre Leichner says that "outsider art festivals exist in London, New York, and Paris, but not yet in Vancouver. Vancouver has an abundance of outsider artists and our mission with the festival is to provide an opportunity for Vancouverites to discover and support these artists."

Admission to the festival is free of charge. For more information, check out the Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival website.