The Smithers Art Gallery is located on the traditional territory of the Witsuwit'en (Wet'suwet'en).

 

The Gallery is a non-profit organization and the only professionally curated art gallery between Prince George and Terrace.  We can be traced back to a group of local artists in 1971 called "The Smithers Art Circle", formed with the original intention to acquire instructors to teach workshops. By the following year, the group was renamed "The Bulkley Valley Arts Guild" and they expanded their mandate to include exhibiting local and regional artwork and to provide a space to create art. Not long after, the group joined efforts with the local ceramics club and formed the Smithers Gallery Association, the formal entity directing and overseeing the operations of the Smithers Art Gallery. 

 

From our humble beginning, the past number of years have been ones of learning and growth and we are continuing our upward trajectory from being a small community gallery to a regional arts hub. To acheive this, we provide access to art exhibitions, child and youth skill development in many art mediums, continuing art education and giving the opportunity for skill development for adults and professional artists in our region. 

 

From the point of our creation to today, we can be found in the Central Park Building, a heritage building constructed in 1925 to house the police chief, jail, courthouse, and government officials.