Fresh from the Studio And into your home!

The Blackberry Artist’s Society (BAS) is a group of artists who really know the benefits of being part of a cooperative. Since its beginning in 1997, the society has grown from just a couple of members to over 30 artists, and they are always happy to welcome new artists to the group. The BAS was formed when the City of Port Moody opened up the Port Moody Arts Centre, in the building that had just become the ’old‘ City Hall. Originally, the Arts Centre was opened and closed by members of the BAS on a part time basis. In exchange for volunteering to open and close the Arts Centre, the BAS was given a space inside to sell its own artwork, and the Blackberry Gift Shop was created.

As the Arts Centre became more popular in the Tri Cities, the Port Moody Arts Centre Society was formed and took over managing the Arts Centre in 1999. The BAS has continued being involved in supporting the Port Moody Arts Centre in various capacities: from partnering in annual art events, to providing daily support as needed.

Today, the Blackberry Gift Shop remains the primary selling outlet for members of the BAS, and has become a local favorite. Whether a visitor is interested in buying ceramics, jewellery, paintings, photography, sculpture, fabric work, or woodwork, this is one shop where you can buy quality work directly from the artists who make it, all year round. As the Gift Shop is completely run and operated by members of the BAS, each member has the drive to bring in new creations frequently – after all, bringing in new merchandise is good for business!

The day-to-day operations of the Gift Shop are uniquely grassroots (there is no computer, so everything is manual), however the committee of volunteers who steer the BAS towards growth are focused on developing the Gift Shop to be a strong blend of “fresh-from-the-studio” and growing a business, albeit grassroots in nature.

All members are accepted through a jury process: quality, originality, medium and creativity are some of the key elements that the jury looks at when reviewing new members. The aim is to not oversaturate one single type of artwork in the shop, but instead to maintain a balanced number of jewellers, painters, photographers, sculptors etc., so that each member has a fair opportunity to showcase their new work in their respective medium.

While the Blackberry Gift Shop will always be run by artists who enjoy making a mess in their studios, many of these artists bring strong business backgrounds to the BAS, and all of them share a genuine interest in contributing to the overall success of the Gift Shop.

If you find yourself in the Port Moody area, stop by the Port Moody Arts Centre and visit the Blackberry Gift Shop: you’ll be guaranteed to get your fill of ’fresh-from-the-studio‘ and maybe even some ’into-your-home‘ with one worthwhile stop.