After 15 years, Vancouver’s fieldhouse residencies are building a legacy

Walking into the fieldhouse at Oak Park in Marpole, I’m hit with the sweet smell of drying cedar bark, which lies in bundles of various widths across several tables that fill the room. 

Giihlgiigaa, or Todd DeVries, is preparing materials for that evening’s class when I arrive. Giihlgiigaa is a Haida cedar bark weaver and storyteller who has been teaching cedar weaving since coming to Vancouver in 2010. He only began working out of the Oak Park fieldhouse at the start of this year, but Giihlgiigaa has been involved in the evolution of these spaces since the early aughts.  

Vancouver has approximately 70 fieldhouses spread throughout its parks. These buildings have traditionally served as homes for on-site park caretakers, as well as providing public washrooms, change rooms, and storage space for community centres and sports groups. 

However, by 2011, the practice of having caretakers living in the fieldhouses was becoming less common, and the park board was seeking innovative ways to use the empty spaces, according to Marie Lopez, the park board’s arts, culture, and engagement coordinator. 

The program began with an arts focus, with the former caretaker suites offered as free studio space to artist collectives. In exchange, artists were required to provide at least 350 hours of free and accessible programming to the public, Lopez told Vancity Lookout.