Slow down and take a walking tour of outdoor art on the UBC campus. Works in the Outdoor Art Collection are situated across the Vancouver campus and together, give voice to stories about the history of campus, and are part of an ever-evolving narrative about art, space and place.

For a self-guided tour of the Outdoor Art Collection, download a copy of our Outdoor Art guide and qeqən: Musqueam House Posts book. Suggested routes take about 20 minutes to walk, while a full tour of all the artworks takes about 3 hours.

Guided tours can be booked for groups of ten people or more. Tours are conversational, participation-driven and can be adapted for a wide range of ages and groups. Please see below for information, dates and times.

All of the artworks in the Outdoor Art Collection are situated on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people; the gallery encourages viewers to reflect on this relationship.

Decolonization Tour

90 minutes, 1.5-2 km

The Decolonization Tour highlights site-specific artworks by Indigenous artists and raises questions around issues of place, space and identity. Considering how these works address urgent social and political concerns, we’ll discuss ideas of settler colonialism, decolonization, reconciliation, protocol and the history of UBC’s Vancouver campus, which is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. Some of the discussion can be intense. Care to create a safe space is a priority. Indian Residential School denialism will not be tolerated.

The tour includes work by:

• Brent Sparrow Jr. (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm), sʔi:ɬqəy̓ qeqən (2016)
• Ellen Neel (Kwakwaka’wakw), Victory Through Honour (1948/2004)
• Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds (Cheyenne, Arapaho), Native Hosts (1991/2007)
• James Hart, 7idansuu (Edenshaw) (Haida), Reconciliation Pole: Honouring a Time Before, During and After Canada’s Indian Residential Schools (2015-17)
• Kayám̓ Richard Campbell (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) and James Hart 7idansuu (Edenshaw), θəʔit (2023)

The Decolonization Tour can be booked for groups of 10-25 people and takes approximately 90 minutes. The required minimum attendance is 10 people. If less than 10 people are present, the tour will not be given. Groups larger than 25 will be divided into 2 or more smaller groups, requires additional time, and depends on staff availability.

Tours are conversational, participation-driven and can be adapted for a range of groups. We are now taking bookings for late January to March 2025.

Tours can be booked on:  Mondays between 12:30-3:30pm, Tuesdays 1:00-3:00pm, Wednesdays 11:30am-2:30pm, and Fridays 1:00-3:00pm. Bookings are dependent on staff availability and as weather permits.

• Please include information about your group, the number of people, options of dates and times, and the name of the tour (Decolonization Tour).
• This tour takes a minimum of 90 minutes. The number of works and the time required cannot be reduced.
• Wear comfortable walking shoes, dress for the weather, and bring an umbrella in case of rain.
• For details, contact belkin.tours@ubc.ca.
• Due to high volume, please allow 3-4 business days for a reply.

Don’t have 10 people? Join the Belkin’s Public Programs staff on a Pre-scheduled Tour. Tours are free, but space is limited. To register for a spot, email belkin.tours@ubc.ca

• Include your name and contact information, the name of the tour (Decolonization Tour), the date and time, and the number of spots. Due to the high volume, please allow 3-4 business days for us to reply.

Pre-scheduled Tours take 90 minutes and are available on:

• Friday, 31 January 2025, 12:00-1:30pm
• Wednesday, 5 February 2025, 11:30-1pm – Cancelled
• Friday, 28 February 2025, 12:00-1:30pm
• Monday, 3 March 2025, 1-2:30pm
• Friday, 28 March 2025, 12:00-1:30pm

Wear comfortable walking shoes, dress for the weather, and bring an umbrella in case of rain.

Ecologies and Economies Tour

1 hour, 0.5 km

The Ecologies and Economies Tour highlights artworks that engage with themes related to both social ecologies and the natural world, and people’s relationship with their surroundings on campus. We’ll discuss ideas around nature, culture, climate change and social change.

Includes works by:

• Holly Schmidt, Fireweed Fields (2021-)
• Myfanwy Macleod, Wood For the People (2002)
• Rodney Graham, Millennial Time Machine (2003) *not available during rainy weather
• Esther Shalev-Gerz, The Shadow (2018)

The Ecologies and Economies Tour can be booked for groups of 10-25 people. The required minimum attendance is 10 people. If less than 10 people are present, the tour will not be given. Larger groups will be divided into 2 or more smaller groups, requires additional time, and depends on staff availability.

Tours are conversational, participation-driven and can be adapted for a range of ages and groups. We are now taking bookings for late January to March 2025. Tours can be booked on Mondays between 12:30- 3:00pm, Tuesdays 1:00-3:00pm, Wednesdays 11:30am-2:30pm, and Fridays 1:00-3:00pm. Bookings are dependant on staff availability and as weather permits.

• Please include information about your group, the number of people, options of dates and times, and the name of the tour.
• This tour takes 1 hour.
• For details, contact belkin.tours@ubc.ca.
• Due to high volume, please allow 3-4 business days for a reply.

All of the artworks in the Outdoor Art Collection are situated on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people; the gallery encourages viewers to reflect on this relationship.

Image (above): Weiyi Chang speaking about Rodney Graham’s Millennial Time Machine (2003) on August 16, 2016. Photo: Josephina Back.