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 Tour book and qeqən: Musqueam House Posts book. Suggested routes take about 20 minutes to walk, while a full tour of all the artworks takes about three hours.

Guided tours can be booked a minimum of four weeks in advance for groups of ten or more. Tours are conversational, participation-driven and can be adapted for a wide range of ages and groups. For details, contact Naomi Sawada, Manager of Public Programs at naomi.sawada@ubc.ca. Tours can be booked Tuesday – Friday between 10:30 AM – 4 PM. In October and November tours can booked Tuesday – Friday between 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.

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.

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 (Cheyanne, 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)

This tour is offered regularly from spring to fall. Below are the dates for August through October.

• • Thursday, 10 August 2023 at 11:30 AM
  • Wednesday, 30 August 2023 at 11 AM
  • Friday, 22 September at 2023 at 12 PM
  • Friday, 20 October at 2023 at 12 PM

Below are the tours offered leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day at UBC:

• Wednesday, 27 September 2023 at 11 am FULL
• Wednesday, 27 September 2023 at 12 pm
• Wednesday, 27 September 2023 at 2 pm

Tours are free, but space is limited; booking a spot in advance is required, email belkin.tours@ubc.ca and specify the tour date and time in your email.  Due to the high volume of emails, please allow up to 3 days for us to reply.

Can’t make the dates above? Decolonization Tours can be booked with a minimum of four weeks in advance for groups of ten or more by contacting Naomi Sawada, Manager of Public Programs at naomi.sawada@ubc.ca. In your email, please include information about your group, the number of people, and options of dates and times. Tours can be booked Tuesday – Friday between 10:30 AM – 4 PM. For October and early November, tours can booked Tuesday – Friday between 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.

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) *closed during rainy weather
• Esther Shalev-Gerz, The Shadow (2018)

The Ecologies and Economies Tour can be booked with a minimum of four weeks in advance for groups of ten or more by contacting Naomi Sawada, Manager of Public Programs at naomi.sawada@ubc.ca. In your email, please include information about your group, the number of people, and options of dates and times. Tours can be booked Tuesday – Friday between 10:30 AM – 4 PM. For October and early November, tours can booked Tuesday – Friday between 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.

For all tours, please wear comfortable shoes and bring an umbrella in case of rain.

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