Arts Umbrella Foundation Program
Arts Umbrella Granville Island, 1400 Johnston Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3S1
About
The Arts Umbrella Foundation Program includes activities such as clay sculpture, wood sculpture, architecture, printmaking, drawing, painting, mixed media, papier mâché, collage, stop-motion animation, animation, photography, film, creative electronics, digital painting, video and SFX, puppetry, character design, and fashion design. The program combines a yearlong core discipline with a rotation of shorter EXPLORE classes that focus on contemporary themes and pair them with traditional media.
• Ages: 7–12 years old
• Schedule: Yearlong, twice-weekly program from September 2025 to June 2026; EXPLORE courses run in 6–8 week sessions
At Arts Umbrella, whole-self learning is the philosophy that guides every program. The Foundation Program is described as a unique learning experience for young artists, featuring a selection of Core and Explore classes, and is composed of one yearlong core discipline with a rotation of Explore classes. The Visual Arts core discipline focuses on the critical and aesthetic potential of image-making and on multidisciplinary, tactile, and material-based foundations in art and design. The Media Arts core discipline focuses on established and new technologies connected to storytelling, world-building, and character design to build a digital and media-literate foundation in art and design.
Students ages 7–8 in the Junior Foundation Program follow a set student journey with a yearlong Visual Arts core discipline plus five Explore classes. Intermediate Foundation Program students ages 9–10 and 11–12 can choose either Visual Arts or Media Arts as their yearlong core discipline and select their own Explore classes. EXPLORE courses include expanded workshops and a deep-dive project to introduce a new creative medium and contemporary art.
Arts Umbrella states that it strives to ensure that all young people, regardless of economic or social circumstance, are provided with the opportunity to access high-quality arts education. Arts Umbrella reaches approximately 20,000 young people across Metro Vancouver annually, with nearly 75% served through bursaries, scholarships, and donor-funded community programs. The Foundation Program is generously supported by the Poseley Family. The Arts Umbrella Bursary Fund provides financial support to low- and middle-income families based on financial need, with 79% of young people participating at no cost in 2024/25 and 570 students served through bursaries and scholarships in 2024/25. Arts Umbrella and Emily Carr University have launched an entry program for the next generation of artists, and Arts Umbrella is supported by a cohort of partner organizations.
Last updated February 20, 2026.
• Ages: 7–12 years old
• Schedule: Yearlong, twice-weekly program from September 2025 to June 2026; EXPLORE courses run in 6–8 week sessions
At Arts Umbrella, whole-self learning is the philosophy that guides every program. The Foundation Program is described as a unique learning experience for young artists, featuring a selection of Core and Explore classes, and is composed of one yearlong core discipline with a rotation of Explore classes. The Visual Arts core discipline focuses on the critical and aesthetic potential of image-making and on multidisciplinary, tactile, and material-based foundations in art and design. The Media Arts core discipline focuses on established and new technologies connected to storytelling, world-building, and character design to build a digital and media-literate foundation in art and design.
Students ages 7–8 in the Junior Foundation Program follow a set student journey with a yearlong Visual Arts core discipline plus five Explore classes. Intermediate Foundation Program students ages 9–10 and 11–12 can choose either Visual Arts or Media Arts as their yearlong core discipline and select their own Explore classes. EXPLORE courses include expanded workshops and a deep-dive project to introduce a new creative medium and contemporary art.
Arts Umbrella states that it strives to ensure that all young people, regardless of economic or social circumstance, are provided with the opportunity to access high-quality arts education. Arts Umbrella reaches approximately 20,000 young people across Metro Vancouver annually, with nearly 75% served through bursaries, scholarships, and donor-funded community programs. The Foundation Program is generously supported by the Poseley Family. The Arts Umbrella Bursary Fund provides financial support to low- and middle-income families based on financial need, with 79% of young people participating at no cost in 2024/25 and 570 students served through bursaries and scholarships in 2024/25. Arts Umbrella and Emily Carr University have launched an entry program for the next generation of artists, and Arts Umbrella is supported by a cohort of partner organizations.
Last updated February 20, 2026.
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