The ‘Blue Cabin’ is the name given to the squatter cabin that was a former residence and studio to Vancouver artists Al Neil and Carole Itter. Built circa 1927 in Coal Harbour, the cabin was moved to the western boundary of Cates Park in 1932 and remained there until 2015, when it was removed from the site due to redevelopment of the adjacent property. The cabin is believed to be the last remaining squatter cabin along the Burrard Inlet foreshore.

In 2014, grunt gallery began working in partnership with Other Sights for Artists’ Projects and Creative Cultural Collaborations Society to develop the concept for a permanent engagement site for the Blue Cabin. Given the need for artist residency space in Vancouver, and the cabin’s history on the foreshore, repurposing it as an off-the-grid floating artist residency on the Lower Mainland waterfront emerged as the chosen course of action.

Join the Blue Cabin Project founding partners as they talk about their four-year process of saving, remediating, and repurposing the cabin. They will also speak about the project as it moves into its next phases of development, drawing closer to its launch as a floating artist residency and heritage engagement site.