Our Story
Land Acknowledgement
PoMoArts operates on the shared, unceded, ancestral, and traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples, including the sə̓lílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), and S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō Nations).
We thank these First Peoples who continue to live on and care for these lands, waters, and all that is above and beneath.
Our Mission:
The Port Moody Arts Centre is a not-for-profit community arts education facility and contemporary gallery located in the heart of Port Moody.
Committed to develop, promote, and celebrate positive arts experiences in The City of the Arts, the centre is run by a dedicated team of staff, governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, and home to over 30 experienced instructors.
We offer classes for people of all ages and experience levels to explore their creativity in a variety of artistic disciplines. More than 300 classes are run annually in visual arts, ceramics, theatre, digital media, and much beloved children’s camps, as well as private music lessons.
Our gallery showcases local, national, and international artists through professionally curated exhibitions. PoMoArts is dedicated to nurturing artistic talent through our Ceramic Artist in Residence program, annual Kwi Am Choi Scholarship, and Emerging Visual Arts Endowment Campaign. We offer a space for local Artisans of the Blackberry Artisan Society through the blackberry gift shop.
The Port Moody Arts Centre would not be able to operate without the assistance of the City of Port Moody, donations and sponsorships, grants, and the endless support of community volunteers. Together we strive to provide arts and culture leadership in a vibrant community, building on a foundation provided to us through the rich history of the space we occupy while looking towards a diverse and inclusive future.
Our History:
The Port Moody Arts Centre is housed in the historic Old City Hall and Centennial Appleyard House, both registered heritage buildings built in 1913 and 1910 respectively. The buildings are a significant part of Port Moody’s history, with their uses over the years as varied as they continue to be today. Old City Hall has served as a police station, jail, and firehall, as well as lesser known uses as a Cold War bomb shelter and kindergarten. Touring the building today, you will still see beautiful original brickwork and finishings, including a vault in the Ann Kitching Gallery.
The Port Moody Arts Centre Society, a registered charitable society (#8677 45671 RR0001), was founded in 1998 to oversee the Arts Centre after the building was vacated by city staff and operated solely by artists for several years. In 2012, the Centennial Appleyard house was gifted to the City of Port Moody by the Province for the sum of $1 which in turn allowed the Arts Centre Society use of it in 2014. The building’s interior was completely renovated for use as a private residence and restaurant in recent years. However, both buildings maintain original exteriors as well as historically accurate paint, which are on display in the modern atrium built to join the two buildings. Today the Centre operates over three floors in the conjoined buildings with space for an inviting reception with breathtaking views of Port Moody’s landscape, 2 community meeting rooms, 5 visual arts studios, a complete ceramics studio, 5 music studios, and 3 gallery spaces.