(This story is sponsored by Emily Carr University of Art + Design)

Emily Carr University of Art + Design’s iconic Student Art Sale is the go-to event for discovering the next Douglas Coupland, Ola Volo, or Stan Douglas, and for snapping up emerging artists’ early works before they become famous.

This year’s sale is billed as the biggest in the century-long history of Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU), which is respected globally for instructors and a faculty committed to encouraging experimentation at the intersections of art, design, media, and technology. 

Over 250 students will offer thousands of pieces in a sprawling, mind-bending variety of practices, from original paintings and photographs to prints, sculptures, ceramics, housewares, wearable works, and much more. Last year’s event saw more than 16,000 unique works for sale, all handcrafted and 100 per cent unique. 

For the first time, Emily Carr’s Student Art Sale will also partner with the Indigenous Winter Market, organized with the Aboriginal Gathering Place as a showcase for artwork by Indigenous students. 

ECU, with over 2,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs and thousands more in continuing studies, has a history of producing groundbreaking talents from all sorts of disciplines. In addition to giants like Coupland, Volo, and Douglas, past alums range from genre-mashing singer Neko Case and art-world bad boy Attila Richard Lukacs to multi-discipline visionary Steven Shearer and actor Annie Liu.

The Student Art Sale takes place from November 21 to 23, and admission is completely free. This event, coming just weeks before the holiday season, offers Vancouverites the chance to get a head start on their shopping with gifts that are literally one of a kind.

Check out ECU’s state-of-the-art campus on East 1st Avenue, where the sale takes over the Michael O’Brian Exhibition Commons on the second floor. And expect a fascinating, ground-level view of a hyper-creative environment where art careers are nurtured as they take shape and flourish.

Check @emilycarru regularly on Instagram for previews of what to expect.  

For more information on Emily Carr University of Art + Design’s Student Art Sale, including hours and directions, go to ecuad.ca.