Explore Richmond’s Brilliant Art Trail

This city is famous for its authentic Asian dining, fantastic parks and the heritage charms of Steveston Village. But there’s another scene here that doesn’t receive quite so much attention, even though it’s far from hidden away.

Richmond is home to a huge and fascinating array of public art. And––so long as you know where to go––it couldn’t be easier to plot your own cost-free art crawl on a scenically sunny day.

Looking for some brilliant art? Read on for our handy planning tools plus images of some of our favourite installations. Then gather your art-loving friends and launch your own exploration. Don’t forget to snap lots of photos and use the #RichmondMoments hashtag so we can share your cool discoveries!

Planning Tools

A special City of Richmond online map shows you the location of dozens of local public artworks. It’s a great way to pinpoint all the installations in a specific neighbourhood or choose a bucket list of great works to discover throughout the area––while also showing you how to plan an easy route between them.

Speaking of artsy neighbourhoods, we have also curated three unique Google Maps for local and visiting culture fans. Each focuses on a different part of the city and each includes location info plus write-ups on every work. Read on for more information and consider dipping into these mini art trails on your next visit.

Our curated Oval Village map plots 16 diverse installations in, around and close to the landmark Richmond Olympic Oval. These include Janet Echelman’s Water Sky Garden––featuring huge red nets suspended above a lush wetland green space––and Pat Talmey’s shimmering Spawning, a vertical water feature teeming with metallic salmon.

Alternatively, our Steveston Village map points you to 14 intriguing installations, many evoking Steveston’s richly colourful past. Look out for Mia Weinberg’s Back on Track outside the Steveston Tram pavilion––a walk-over map of the region’s extensive former interurban tram system––and Dean and Christina Lauze’s Arrival of the S.V. Titania, a vibrant mural detailing the 1889 docking of a ship that launched Fraser River salmon exports to Europe.

Our third art crawl is in the city centre, and it’s easy to access on foot from the Canada Line’s Richmond-Brighouse Station. This Brighouse map plots 19 highly diverse creations, including David Jacob’s Together––complete with two towering human figures strolling across the grass––and Nathan Scott’s Richmond’s Firefighter, a detailed bronze recreation of a brave firefighter in action.

Outdoor Gallery

Need more inspiration? Scroll down for photos, location information and short descriptions of some our favourite Richmond public art installations. How many of these have you seen around the city––and how many do you plan to visit on your next Richmond visit?

TYPHA

Artists: Puya Khahili and Charlotte Wall (2023)
Location: 5111 Hollybridge Way

This shiny, three-part installation evokes the poker-like typha plant (aka the cattail or bulrush) that is often spotted growing along the shoreline of the nearby Fraser River. The mirrored surface of this toweringly stylized creation shimmers in the sunlight during the day but at night its internal LED lights transform it into a gently glowing beacon overlooking the river.

RICHMOND’S HOME OF CUL’TURE & CURL’MUNITY

Artist: Mickey Morgan (2020)
Location: 5540 Hollybridge Way 

One of Metro Vancouver’s longest murals, this kaleidoscopically colourful 38-metre creation adorns the otherwise drab concrete exterior of the Richmond Winter Club, where local curling players hit the ice. Take your time perusing this work and you’ll spot everything from curling action to para-athletes to a huge and handsome heron overlooking the scene. Mural fan? This handy map shows the location of 19 other murals throughout the city.

Minoru Horse

Artist: Sergei Traschenko (2009)
Location: 7700 Minoru Gate, Richmond, BC.

This handsome bronze statue recalls the origins of the adjacent Minoru Park. Now a popular greenspace with gardens and sports facilities, it was once a popular horseracing track. The track was named after Minoru––equine winner of the UK’s 1909 Epsom Derby––and this sculpture was unveiled a century later. Visit the rest of the park and you’ll also find evocative oversized photos of the old racetrack.

Steveston’s Legacy

Artist: Norm Williams (2009)
Location: 12138 Fourth Ave, Richmond, BC.

Located outside the entrance of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, it’s easy to think you’ve just stepped into a lively conversation between the figures depicted in bronze here. One of Richmond’s most evocative and highly photographed artworks––and a brilliant reminder of Steveston’s cannery-era heyday––who knows what this fisherman, docker and cannery worker might be talking about?

Skydam

Artist: Nathan Lee (2016).
Location: 6340 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC

It’s hard not to smile at this whimsical, utterly charming artwork––hidden in plain sight at the very end of the Canada Line in Richmond. Hop off the train at Richmond-Brighouse Station, walk along the sidewalk underneath the elevated trackway and then look up––you’ll find three bright red beavers and their carefully crosshatched dam marking the Richmond terminus of the transit line.

Sea to Sky

Artist: Thomas Cannell (2021)
Location: No. 3 Road and Cook Road, Richmond, BC

Created by Musqueam artist Cannell, this semi-translucent artwork graces multiples levels on the corner of the city centre’s Paramount building. Like a massive contemporary stained glass window, the richly detailed work incorporates swirling representations of eagles, whales, salmon and stars. Head across the street for the best photo-friendly views of this dramatic work.

Human Nature

Artist: Paul Slipper (2008)
Location: 6620 Garden City Road, Richmond, BC

Another unique creation, this series of granite sculptures features large fern fronds, each with a friendly human face. According to an adjoining panel, the artist is reflecting the idea of a community that becomes evermore rooted to its home as it grows, develops and matures. “It is these root systems that provide the base for future generations to live and prosper,” says the panel.

SEI

Artist: Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (2015)
Location: 1000-7899 Templeton Station Road, Richmond, BC

Take a break from shopping at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport to contemplate this monumental artwork, fashioned from more than eight tons of steel, copper, granite and marble by an artist who pioneered the fusion Haida Manga approach. Representing a curving, 12-metre-long whale leaping from the water, you can walk underneath this amazing creation––making it the perfect spot for a cultured selfie or two.

The Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe

Artist: Bill Reid (1994)
Level 3, International Terminal, Vancouver International Airport

Celebrated artist Bill Reid created this monumental bronze for YVR, and its prominent location makes it one of the region’s most-visited artworks.

Next time you’re at the airport, take your time and explore its features at length. You’ll find many fascinating animals and creatures crowding the canoe––we were delighted to find the Mouse Woman on our recent visit. Visit this page for more information on YVR’s extensive art program.

Last Updated on August 28, 2024 by Tourism Richmond