about us
who we are: Vision and Mission
Portal Studios Art Society of Vancouver was founded in 2025 by artists Chloe Chua, Shane Mackie, and Jesse Ward. As multidisciplinary artists with backgrounds in performance and visual arts, our vision was to establish an eclectic community where authentic self expression and interdisciplinary collaboration is not only encouraged, but celebrated. As queer-identifying artists, our mission is to curate inclusive, judgement-free community spaces and programming centred on play, skill-sharing, empowerment and equity.
The Beginning: Portal Studios Odlum
In 2021, we established Portal Studios at 914 Odlum Drive. It quickly became a thriving community of 13+ resident artists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. Since its inception, it has become a hub of multidisciplinary collaborative arts- hosting fundraisers, markets, open studios, and taking part in the annual Eastside Culture Crawl. Portal Studios Odlum prides itself on being an unconventional underground arts space. Visitors to the studio often describe it as “being teleported to another dimension”, which is where the name Portal Studios originated.
Our growing community
As our Portal community grew over the years, so too did our need to expand our space and offerings. In the summer of 2025 we incorporated as a non-profit society. In October 2025, our vision of bringing performance and visual arts together in a multidisciplinary community space finally came to fruition with the opening of our new studio Portal Playground.
Our Values:
*Authenticity*
*Equity*
*play*
*Inclusivity*
*connection*
*community*
*creativity*
Our mission:
Fostering Equity & Inclusivity:
We are committed to learning, unlearning, and advocating for systemic change in our local and global communities. Through fundraising and community programming, we support local and international mutual aid campaigns. As a queer-led organization, we operate from a lens of intersectionality. Our mission is to break down institutional barriers that have long prevented historically oppressed communities from accessing artistic spaces. We are dedicated to upholding principles of equity, justice, and inclusivity within all of our programming and spaces. All of our spaces are safe and inclusive for 2SLGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and people with disabilities. We do not tolerate any forms of racism, misogyny, violence (physical & verbal), or discrimination of any kind.
Empowerment Through Authentic Self Expression:
Far too often, artistic expression is limited within traditional artistic institutions and studio settings. We are committed to providing non-judgemental, uplifting environments where authenticity is not limited by arbitrary rules/regulations and artists are free to play and explore every facet of their practice. Our eclectic community celebrates unconventionality and empowers artists to break free from the status quo and embrace their authentic self expression.
We believe that play does not have an age limit. Play exists in many forms and can be applied to any artistic medium. It is a powerful tool that can be used to bring people together, foster connection, and create lasting memories. Our mission is to help artists engage with their sense of play through expressive interdisciplinary programming. We are serious about having fun, spreading joy, and reconnecting artists with their inner child by engaging in joy, art, and play as forms of resistance against the systems designed to disconnect and isolate us.
Connection through Play:
Creative Community Collaboration:
We provide artists with opportunities to engage, connect, and skill share through creative collaboration. Our multidisciplinary spaces and programming gives artists the chance to step outside of their bubble into new forms that may leave lasting impacts on their artistic practices. In a world that promotes rugged individualism, we understand the importance of working together to create interdependent communities that share skills, knowledge, tools, and help one another out of mutual respect and shared values.
Land Acknowledgement
It is with deep gratitude we acknowledge that the Portal Studios Art Society operates on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Our society stands in solidarity with the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island who have stewarded this land from time immemorial. We recognize that we, as settlers, benefit from the colonial systems that have resulted in the displacement and marginalization of the First Peoples and are working towards unlearning and dismantling these systems within ourselves and our communites. We are committed to learning from our Indigenous kin as we foster our vision for community-led arts into meaningful action towards reconciliation and Indigenous sovereignty.