When you pick up a brush, an easel, a sheet of specialty paper or a fresh canvas, you’re doing more than creating art—you’re helping build community. At Opus Art Supplies, we believe that “Art Brings Us Together”—and from November 1 to December 24, when you shop our Opus-brand products, you help our arts community thrive.

Art has a unique power to connect people, amplify voices, foster inclusion and spark joy. By choosing to shop Opus-brand during this period, your purchase becomes a gift that reaches beyond your studio—it supports grassroots arts programs, educational initiatives, community-accessibility efforts and creative-care programs across British Columbia.

Here’s a look at some of the incredible groups selected for this year’s Art Brings Us Together campaign, and the meaningful work they do:

The Colour Collective is a community of painters and photographers living with disability who explore painting foundations—colour theory, composition, design—and photography through the Snap Photo Club. They learn about artists like the Group of Seven, Marc Chagall, Seurat and Signac, then use photography or painting to express themselves and share their work.

By supporting this group, your purchase helps open doors for artists who may have faced barriers to participation—giving them a creative voice, community, and visible opportunities to display their work. Learn more about The Colour Collective on their website: colourcollective.ca

Studio 101 is a program of the Eastside Arts Society dedicated to connecting youth on Vancouver’s Eastside with professional artists and immersive visual-arts experiences. Many participants attend grades 4-7 at schools like Britannia, Seymour and Strathcona, and for many it’s their first time in a real artist’s studio, creating ceramics, painting, sculpture and mixed media.

Your support means more children gain access to creative enrichment, build confidence, and witness what it’s like to work side-by-side with practising artists—opening pathways for future expression and creative careers. Learn more about Studio 101 online at: culturecrawl.ca/studio-101

Artists in Our Midst (AiOM) is a Vancouver-based nonprofit that invites the public into artists’ homes, studios and community centres—best known for the annual West of Main Art Walk. AiOM also provides bursaries for graduating visual-arts students (e.g., at Lord Byng Secondary School) and hosts exhibitions, community events and artist-led initiatives across disciplines.

When you purchase during the campaign, you help strengthen accessible links between artists and community—showcasing local talent, promoting artistic dialogue, and bringing creative experiences into everyday life. Learn more about Artists in Our Midst on their website: artistsinourmidst.com

Operating for over 24 years, Gallery Vertigo is the only artist-run centre in the North Okanagan and supports visual artists, writers, filmmakers, university instructors, musicians and artisans. It houses multiple gallery spaces, studios, and offers workshops and public programming in visual, literary and performing arts.

By participating in this campaign, you are investing in a regional hub of creativity—helping foster artistic growth, cross-discipline collaboration and public learning opportunities outside of major metropolitan centres. Discover more about Gallery Vertigo on their website: galleryvertigo.com

She Defines Strength is a community of sisterhood that honours, connects and empowers female cancer fighters, survivors and their supporters. The funds from our campaign will enable creative-care packages and paint-night supplies for these women—giving them space to express, heal and connect.

Your purchase helps carry art into healing journeys, where creativity becomes wellness, support becomes visible, and community becomes tangible. Learn more about She Defines Strength online at shedefinesstrength.com

Under the umbrella of the Mood Disorders Association of BC, The Art Studios offers art-based programs for people living with mental-health diagnoses. Through creative work, mutual support and community building, participants gain confidence, skills and connection in a safe environment.

Supporting this organization means your purchase fosters inclusion, combats isolation, and strengthens the role art plays in mental-health and community wellness. Learn more about The Art Studios at Lookout Housing + Health Society on their website: lookoutsociety.ca/the-art-studios/

Since 1968, the West Vancouver Community Arts Council has broadened opportunities for residents of West Vancouver and the North Shore to engage in visual, literary and performing arts. Their programs include free exhibitions, online Art Talks, drop-in choirs, community art projects and the Silk Purse Arts Centre.

By joining our campaign, your purchase helps preserve vibrant art programming, affordable access to the arts for diverse populations, and enriches the cultural fabric of our regional communities. You can learn more about West Vancouver Community Arts Council on their website: westvanartscouncil.ca/

Pandora Arts Collective Society is a two-day weekly drop-in, self-directed art studio (plus online Zoom sessions) based in Victoria, supporting mental wellness through creative activity and communal art-making. With two annual group shows, workshops and a Teeny Tiny Art Gallery, PACS also offers free second-hand supplies to the wider community.

When you purchase Opus-brand supplies during the campaign, you help PACS acquire materials otherwise out of reach—so participants can explore, share and thrive in a welcoming creative space. Explore more about the Pandora Arts Collective Society on their website: pandoraarts.ca

1. Visit an Opus store or shop online from November 1 to December 24.

2. Look for the heart-shaped “Art Brings Us Together” icon either in-store or on opusartsupplies.com to identify eligible items.

3. Choose any Opus-brand product (paints, canvases, brushes, paper, frames, easels, etc.).

4. Checkout as usual — we automatically donate 5 % of the proceeds from your Opus-brand purchase to the campaign.

5. Spread the word to fellow artists, friends and family—because every purchase adds up and every voice helps the campaign flourish.

When you shop your favourite art supplies, you’re fueling your own creativity and strengthening the wider arts ecosystem. You’re helping ensure that more people—regardless of age, ability or circumstance—get access to arts education, creative care, community studios and platforms for expression. That is exactly what Art Brings Us Together is about.

This year, let your art-supply purchase speak louder than words. Let it stand for community, support, connection and possibility. Let it say: I believe in the power of art. I believe in inclusion. I believe in joy, creativity and collective impact.

Because when we create together, when we shop with heart, when we build community through our craft—truly, Art Brings Us Together.

From all of us at Opus—thank you for shopping in a meaningful way. Thank you for supporting the arts you love. Thank you for being part of a creative movement that touches every studio, every classroom, every corner of our communities.

Let’s create. Let’s connect. Let’s uplift.
By All Means, Create.