About the Arts Factory
The Arts Factory Opening Night
The Arts Factory is a mixed-use arts facility located in a transformed warehouse at 281 Industrial Avenue. This cultural hub includes 21,000 square feet of workshops, studios, offices and common spaces. A unique partnership with the City of Vancouver allows us to offer affordable spaces to the local arts community.
The Arts Factory houses a mix of emerging and established artists, as well as arts organizations and professionals in the cultural sector. Our studio spaces are geared to serve professional artists and crafts people.
The community of artists at #281 Industrial is committed to fostering innovation, learning exchanges, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Our vision is that the building will function as an incubator for artists and their practice, while enabling connections between artists, neighborhoods and institutions. The Arts Factory is managed by The Arts Factory Society, a non-profit society.
The Arts Factory's founders are Marietta Kozak and Elia Kirby.
Marietta Kozak
Marietta Kozak is the Co-Founder/Developer and the Treasurer of the Arts Factory Society, an artist hub in Vancouver located in a transformed 21,000 square-foot repurposed factory. Ms. Kozak is also a principal of the Great Northern Way Scene Shop, a local scenic fabrication studio, and has been producing theatre in Vancouver since 1980. Her resume as a producer includes “The Number 14” and “Whale Riding Weather” and since 2010 she has been working through Mortal Coil Performance with Tsatsu Stalqayu (Coastal Wolfpack) to create works including "Siiye'yu" and “Our Creation Story”. Ms. Kozak has also worked as a consultant for local performance companies since the 80s.
Elia Kirby
Elia is the Co-Founder and General Manager of the Arts Factory Society, an artist hub in Vancouver located in a transformed 23,000 square-foot factory. Elia is also Technical Director and Production Manager for Theatre, Public Art, and Live Events. He founded and manages Great Northern Way Scene Shop, and has been involved in over 500 art projects, theatre and film sets, performance events, museum exhibits, and retail projects. Elia has taught theatre production, arts administration, and human geography at Capilano University, UBC and SFU. Elia has worked with the Vancouver Opera, Ballet BC, Vancouver Art Gallery, TED Talks, Wings Over Washington, Seattle, WA, and the international tours of Dress Me Up In Your Love, (Theatre Replacement) and Winners, and Losers (Theatre Replacement and Neworld Theatre).
You can also find the Arts Factory on Instagram and LinkedIn @artsfactoryvan
We acknowledge the support of the City of Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada.
The Arts Factory on the Press
Arts Factory Cultural Hub To Launch This Summer
Arts Factory: Real Estate for Vancouver's Professional Artists
Arts Factory Given Room to Get ‘Messy’ in City Warehouse