West Coast Art Magazine

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Oceanside Arts Issue 3 – A West Coast Art Magazine Rooted in Place

On the eastern shores of Vancouver Island lies Oceanside, a coastal region shaped by salt air, long horizons, and a pace of life that invites reflection. Encompassing the City of Parksville and the Town of Qualicum Beach, along with Nanoose Bay, Coombs, Errington, French Creek, Bowser, Deep Bay and Qualicum Bay, the region forms a vibrant cultural corridor within the Regional District of Nanaimo.

Oceanside has long attracted collectors, artists, and cultural patrons drawn to its luminous coastline and contemplative atmosphere. A remarkable concentration of creative talent has taken root here, supported by the dedicated advocacy of the Oceanside Arts Council. At its heart stands the McMillan Arts Centre, a historic schoolhouse transformed into a dynamic arts hub housing three galleries and educational space that fosters both emerging and established voices.

Now in its third issue, Oceanside Arts magazine reflects this thriving ecosystem. While grounded in regional programming and artists, its scope extends outward, connecting readers to art travel and cultural initiatives across Canada and beyond.

West Coast Art Magazine – Oceanside Arts

This issue highlights the practices of Elfrida Schragen, Kyle J. Bennett, Elspeth Pratt, and Sarah Beck, alongside thoughtful features on community engagement. Nazanin Shoja reflects on her 15-year involvement with BC Culture Days, and Diane Moran shares insights into Mindfulness in May, a youth exhibition in Qualicum Beach. Readers are also transported to Petra, Jordan, and invited into the Harvard Art Museums to explore the Forbes Pigment Collection, 2,500 historic pigments examined through an audio tour led by conservation experts.

For collectors, publications like Oceanside Arts offer more than coverage. They provide context. They trace the threads between artist, place, and patron, illuminating the cultural fabric that gives artwork lasting resonance.

On the West Coast, the tide carries more than water. It carries stories.

West Coast Art Magazine

Oceanside Arts Magazine Issue 3

Oceanside Arts Magazine

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A Publication of the Oceanside Community Arts Council – Oceanside Arts Magazine

The Oceanside Community Arts Council (OCAC) is a collective of arts professionals serving the Oceanside region of Vancouver Island, including Qualicum Beach, Parksville, Nanoose Bay, and Nanaimo. The council plays a vital role in supporting and promoting art, music, and culture across the region, while also providing essential funding and programming support for The MAC (MacMillan Arts Centre), the area’s public art gallery.

Parksville, located within the community of Oceanside on Vancouver Island.

Through exhibitions, performances, classes, workshops, and community initiatives, OCAC fosters meaningful connections between artists and the public, helping to sustain a vibrant and accessible arts ecosystem in the Oceanside region.

Oceanside Arts Magazine

Oceanside Arts Magazine

Recently, OCAC launched Oceanside Arts Magazine, a monthly publication dedicated to celebrating the creativity, culture, and artistic life of the region and beyond. With this second issue, the magazine continues to take shape as a dynamic platform for artists, writers, and arts organizations to share work, ideas, and perspectives that reflect the richness of contemporary creative life on Vancouver Island and across Canada. Rooted in the belief that the arts are essential to a healthy, connected community, each issue features artist profiles, exhibition highlights, interviews, critical perspectives, and opportunities for engagement through galleries, performances, studio tours, and workshops.

I am pleased to be a regular contributor to Oceanside Arts Magazine, writing a series focused on regional arts and artists across Canada. Drawing on my extensive national arts network, I will be sharing stories from local arts communities and exploring how creative practices and markets are evolving beyond major urban centres.

Oceanside Arts Magazine

In this second issue, I begin with Beyond the Big Three: Why Regional Voices Are Reshaping Canadian Art Collecting, an exploration of art markets and artistic activity outside the familiar metropolitan hubs of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

You can read the current edition here. You can read more articles by Brandy Saturley here.