Gallery Vertigo is an artist-run centre for artistic innovation in the North Okanagan. It is the physical home of the North Okanagan Artists Alternative, a registered non-profit society and recognized charity composed of local and regional artists and friends of the arts.
We welcome you to stop by, visit our four gallery spaces and chat with our gallery hosts and studio artists. Conversation is the heart of Gallery Vertigo and the NOAA. We are located in the heart of downtown Vernon across the street from the Towne Theatre, at 2901 – 30th Ave, Vernon BC. Our hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
A short history of North Okanagan Artists Alternative and Gallery Vertigo
In early 1999 a small group of local artists recognized the need for an alternative to the existing established art venues in the Vernon area. The group began to meet regularly to discuss art-related issues, identify the needs of artists and arts audiences in the region, and to lay the foundation for the formation of an artist association.
In December 2000, a call was issued to all artists in the region for a group exhibition which was subsequently held in a vacant storefront in Vernon’s downtown district. A second exhibition was planned for Spring 2001.
In January of 2001, encouraged by the overwhelming response from both local artists and the public, the association (which had grown to about 40 artists) incorporated as a registered non-profit society, the North Okanagan Artists Alternative. NOAA continued to exhibit in random spaces over the next year.
In the spring of 2002, NOAA organized a members’ exhibition in a particularly appealing second story location, notably, the Winnipeg Union Bank Building, a heritage building in Vernon’s downtown core. A core group of NOAA member artists rented the space soon after, renovated it at their own expense and launched Gallery Vertigo, Vernon’s first alternative gallery.
Gallery Vertigo occupied the top floor of the Winnipeg Union Bank Building.
The gallery’s artists officially merged with the NOAA in May 2003, forming an even larger, stronger, more vibrant and unified artistic community thereby creating the North Okanagan’s first Artist-Run Centre.
In 2013, the North Okanagan Artists Alternative became a registered charity.
In January 2017 Gallery Vertigo moved from the original location in the historical Winnipeg Union Bank Building in Vernon to a new location at suite #102, 3105 – 28th Ave in Vernon where it spent the next 7 years engaging with artists and the community. Partnering with the Wayfinder Sunflower Project over the course of that time provided opportunities for presenting world class exhibits, establishing a cultural art trail connected to many other small communities, and developing an outreach initiative.
2024 now brings NOAA Gallery Vertigo to its new location, 2901 30th Avenue, in the heart of downtown Vernon, amid several other arts and culture venues, creating a hub of excitement and entertainment for citizens and visitors alike.
Our Continuing Legacy
Since the formation of the North Okanagan Artists Alternative, we have been actively engaged in creating public awareness of the arts in all its forms by establishing and maintaining Gallery Vertigo, the first and only artist run centre in the North Okanagan. Over these past 24 years,visual artists, writers, film makers, university instructors, musicians, fine arts students, performance artists, artisans and many citizens who support the arts have come together in a true spirit of co-operation to offer their support to the organization and its objectives.
Gallery Vertigo operating under the auspices of NOAA houses four gallery spaces, and several artist studios. Programming at Vertigo includes offerings in the literary and performing arts as well as musical events and a regular schedule of visual art exhibitions. We provide arts-related workshops, lectures, and learning opportunities for people of all ages in our North Okanagan community.
For those of you who are visiting our site and wish to have an overview of some of our past events, we have chosen to use Facebook for our archives.
Studios
Gallery Vertigo and the North Okanagan Artists Alternative have artist studio spaces available for rent in the building that houses our gallery. For more information, email us at: galleryvertigonoaa@gmail.com with “studio rental” in the subject line or drop by the gallery during open hours (Tues/Sat 10:30 am.-4:30 pm.) to view available spaces.
Artists renting studios have access to the studio 24/7, and are able to sell their work. Studio artists are encouraged to become members of Gallery Vertigo and are required to host the gallery a minimum of one day per month (6 hrs). This is a great chance to network and meet the art-going public. Writers are welcome. Studio space may be shared.
- Join a dynamic network of artists
- Create your work in an engaging vibrant space
- Offer your work for sale.
- Gain experience in the running of a gallery while contributing to the operation of Gallery Vertigo