Connection Salon - an Outsider Arts Collective

04/01/2026

Barbara Kmiec is one of the featured artists at the Mad Arts Coffee House at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 2nd April between 5 PM to & PM.

Barbara Kmiec is a grad of SFU's The Writer's Studio, she participated in the Sage Hill writing program in Saskatchewan, and she has been mentored by poets George Murray, Jeannette Lyons, Jen Currin, Shauna Paull, Betsy Warland, and many others in one forum or another. Her poem "Horizon" was recently published in New Westminster's SAPP poetry and art zine, and "Hibiscus Man" was long-listed for Pulp Literature's Kingfisher Poetry Prize Contest in December 2024. She is currently working on a series of interconnected pieces (including both poetry and prose) about the journey with her elderly mom, Frances, who came to Canada from Poland in 1961, and who has now lived with Alzheimer's dementia for over twenty years. How we care for our beautiful planet and for our seniors and other loved ones in our midst is top of mind for Barb these days, in the mix of so many other concerns, locally, across our southern border, in the Middle East, and around the globe.

04/01/2026

Emily Taylor is one of the featured artists at the Mad Arts Coffee House at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 2nd April between 5 PM to & PM.

Emily (they/she) is a spoken-word-poet and emerging singer-songwriter based on the traditional and unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. Her songs invite listeners into her experiences of q***r love and are grounded in a stripped-back, folk-inspired sound. A 2025 alum of the Amplify: Spoken Word Workshop, Emily has performed at Verses Spoken Word Festival, the East Van Abbey Cabaret, and various open-mics in the lower-mainland. She looks forward to releasing music in the near future, and is grateful to be featured among other fantastic artists at the Connection Salon!

04/01/2026

JAMIE Greenberg is one of the featured artists at the Mad Arts Coffee House at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 2nd April between 5 PM to & PM.

08/05/2025

Mike Levin and Gabriel Jacob-Ferman aka Astronaut Socks performing music at the Mad Pride Cabaret at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place on Saturday 26th July.

Mike Levin and Gabriel Jacob-Ferman met in a mental health facility called Venture where they hit it off improvising music together six years ago. They soon started busking and playing for art openings and parties. They are called Astronaut Socks and are working on their second album. Their music can be heard and purchased on Bandcamp.com

08/05/2025

Fernando Raguero performing spoken word poetry at the Mad Pride Cabaret at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place on Saturday 26th July.

Fernando Raguero is a long time regular in the Vancouver Poetry slam scene. He has authored 8 poetry chapbooks and is a two time haiku death match champion. Raguero serves up irreverent verse and has a wildly comical view of reality. He has his moments.

08/05/2025

The talented musician Matt Hermano performing at the Mad Pride Cabaret at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place on Saturday 26th July.

Matt Hermano is an accomplished emerging artist doing local festivals and competitions. He was awarded a grand cash prize for fleetwood gots talent, accepted to yaletown records song camp and won a spot performing at the amazing brentwood gots talent.

Matt Hermano had a sweet and punchy sound, where 70's soul meets the 2000’s defined pop, a captivating feel with a depth of emotion that's real.

07/22/2025

Mad Pride Cabaret: July 26th -
Location: The Gathering Place Community Centre (609 Helmcken Street Vancouver, BC V6B 5R1) -
Time: 2:30 - 5:30 PM

Join us for a celebration of Mad Pride Cabaret on Saturday July 26th, an afternoon of performances spotlighting mad, disabled, and neurodivergent artists across disciplines.

Join us for dance, music, crafts & entertainment featuring:
- singer/songwriter Matt Hermano
- spoken word poet Fernando Raguero
- band Astronaut Socks

Mad Pride is an international movement reclaiming language, building visibility, and celebrating the power and creativity of those with lived experience of madness, neurodivergence, and
psychiatric systems. Through these events, Connection Salon hopes to create space for connection, resistance, and joyful expression

07/03/2025

TALK: Art Talks in Plain English Series –July 9th 5:30 PM to 7 PM

Place: The Gathering Place Community Center (Gallery Space), Connection Salon Gallery, 609 Helmcken

Once a month, 2 graduate students from Emily Carr University of Art and Design will give a 20-minute presentation about their work followed by informal discussion. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Plain English is talk that a general audience can understand the first time they hear it. Plain English is clear, straightforward expression.

In July the presentations will be by:

Julya Hajnoczky

All My Favourite People are Plants.

Making Art with the More-than-Human.

Cimarron Knight

Navigating Grief-and-Loss as a Sensory Being.

This event is supported by the British Columbia Council for the Arts, the Connection Salon Collective and the Gathering Place Community Center.

06/30/2025

06/30/2025

Opening: Gifts of Madness Exhibition 2025 - July 10th 5 to 7 PM

Place: Connection Salon Gallery, 609 Helmcken

Connection Salon Artists Collective’s mission is to provide low barrier opportunities to artists that are underrepresented and have lived experience with mental health.

“Reclaiming Our Narratives: Art, Activism, and Healing in Mad Communities”
Mad arts are created by people who live with Madness and are an expression of Mad Pride.
The term “Mad” symbolizes pride, collective identity and community building.
Canada Council for the Arts. 2024

The original Gift of Madness exhibition in 2024 was created and curated by Kagan Goh.

11 visual artists will be on show June 4th to August 17th Join us for the Meet the Artists event, July 10th 2025, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM with Stand up for Mental Health Comedians

The exhibition is supported by the British Columbia Arts Council, the Connection Salon Collective and the Gathering Place Community Center.

05/02/2025

Thank you to everyone who showed up to our Meet The Artist featuring the extraordinarily talented musician Matt Kennedy! We hope to see you all soon for our upcoming events.