The Polygon Gallery 2019 Annual Report

“I begin by acknowledging that The Polygon is located on the traditional, unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh and səl̓ ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, who have lived in what is now called North Vancouver for thousands of years.

“Addressing the successes of The Polygon in 2019 is, as I write this in June 2020, sharply influenced by the exceptional events of these past three months and the challenges, both unforeseen and necessary, now facing our organisation. We are working through this uncertainty, limited in our understanding of what will happen in the upcoming weeks and months, and actively negotiating what will likely be permanent and fundamental shifts in how public space is imagined and used. Within this evolving context, as we begin to bring the Gallery back to life and open again to the public, we are also engaged with the epochal—and one hopes transformative—upheavals of the Black Lives Matter movement. Together, these are systemic shifts that pose fundamental interruptions to social patterns, and specifically interrogate The Polygon’s responsibilities to its publics and its role in reflecting the voices of artists and its communities. It is a time of deep reflection and change as we work to address these disruptions, and as we begin to emerge, The Polygon is striving to use this period as an inspiration and a reminder—to be creative, to be generous, to be welcoming, and to be bold in its response to our current world.” – Reid Shier, Executive Director