Connection Salon - an Outsider Arts Collective

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Connection Salon - an Outsider Arts Collective Our Mission:

We aim at offering opportunities
+ empowering underrepresented artists
and artists with lived experience with mental health issues.

Kagan Goh sharing that Gleyse de Franca's films PETS + MENTAL HEALTH has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie...
10/17/2026

Kagan Goh sharing that Gleyse de Franca's films PETS + MENTAL HEALTH has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Night at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place community centre at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 29 October between 5 PM to 7 PM. The film will be screened along with other mental health themed films. This is a free event with free food and beverages. Please attend and spread the word!

Kagan Goh sharing that Gleyse de Franca's films PETS + MENTAL HEALTH and PET UNFRIENDLY CITIES: VANCOUVER have been offi...
10/17/2026

Kagan Goh sharing that Gleyse de Franca's films PETS + MENTAL HEALTH and PET UNFRIENDLY CITIES: VANCOUVER have been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Night at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place community centre at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 29 October between 5 PM to 7 PM. The films will be screened along with other mental health themed films. This is a free event with free food and beverages. Please attend and spread the word!

Kagan Goh sharing that Gleyse de Franca's film PET UNFRIENDLY CITIES: VANCOUVER has been officially selected for the Mad...
10/17/2026

Kagan Goh sharing that Gleyse de Franca's film PET UNFRIENDLY CITIES: VANCOUVER has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Night at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place community centre at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 29 October between 5 PM to 7 PM. The film will be screened along with other mental health themed films. This is a free event with free food and beverages. Please attend and spread the word!

Kagan Goh sharing that Actor/Writer Sherine Chan's films "LETTER TO___" and "TO, BEING" have been officially selected fo...
10/16/2026

Kagan Goh sharing that Actor/Writer Sherine Chan's films "LETTER TO___" and "TO, BEING" have been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Night at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place community centre at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 29 October between 5 PM to 7 PM. The films will be screened along with other mental health themed films. This is a free event with free food and beverages. Please attend and spread the word!

Bio:

Sherine Chan is a filmmaker born and raised in Hong Kong, currently based in Vancouver. Her practice spans film, animation, and experimental moving images, often drawing from personal experiences and everyday observations. She is interested in the small details of life and the ways she can be translated into images, sounds, and gestures. Her work develops through a process of curiosity and experimentation, allowing ideas to unfold through making rather than beginning with a fixed answer.

Kagan Goh sharing that Actor/Writer Ana Smith's film LOONIE has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Nig...
10/16/2026

Kagan Goh sharing that Actor/Writer Ana Smith's film LOONIE has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Night at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place community centre at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 29 October between 5 PM to 7 PM. The film will be screened along with other mental health themed films. This is a free event with free food and beverages. Please attend and spread the word!

Bio:

Ana Smith, a resilient Vancouver filmmaker, initially navigated life from the tar sands of Alberta to the Canadian Armed Forces before a car accident rerouted her to pursue filmmaking in Vancouver. Despite facing challenges, including a battle with slow-onset schizophrenia, Ana's passion for film persisted. After returning to formal film study in 2018, she graduated from Langara College's Film Arts Program. Today, she continues to contribute to the industry while working in harm reduction and transitional housing for Vancouver Coastal Health.

Logline: Bullied for her schizophrenia, a young woman in a Vancouver women’s shelter finds friendship with a new resident, but sharing a joint puts her bed and her chance at stable housing at risk.

Kagan Goh sharing that Writer Marlo Browne's film DEAR SINGLE MOM has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Fi...
10/16/2026

Kagan Goh sharing that Writer Marlo Browne's film DEAR SINGLE MOM has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Night at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place community centre at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 29 October between 5 PM to 7 PM. The film will be screened along with other mental health themed films. This is a free event with free food and beverages. Please attend and spread the word!

Bio:
Marlo Browne is a Barbadian award-winning poet, spoken word artist, host, filmmaker and self-published author of 5 poetry books, currently living in Langley City, BC.

Kagan Goh sharing that Andrew Smith's film THE VOW has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Night at the...
10/16/2026

Kagan Goh sharing that Andrew Smith's film THE VOW has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Night at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place community centre at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 29 October between 5 PM to 7 PM. The film will be screened along with other mental health themed films. This is a free event with free food and beverages. Please attend and spread the word!

Bio:

Andrew Smith is a devoted husband and father who remains deeply committed to family, community, and creating work with purpose.
He's also an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and creative leader based in Charlotte, North Carolina. As the founder of Nova Initia Productions and Finding Inspiration Foundation, he uses film and community-centered storytelling to explore mental health, strengthen human connection, and create space for meaningful conversation. His work spans narrative filmmaking, documentary production, branded content, live events, and educational programming.

With experience across directing, producing, cinematography, sound, and post-production, Andrew brings both a creative vision and a practical, collaborative approach to every project. At the heart of his work is a belief that stories can help people feel seen, challenge stigma, and inspire lasting change.

Logline:
The Vow follows Darius, a man grieving the loss of loved ones and on the verge of losing his wife for good. Determined to carry the weight alone, he is forced to confront a difficult question: At what point does asking for help become an act of strength?

Kagan Goh sharing that Andrew Smith's film FINDING INSPIRATION has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film ...
10/16/2026

Kagan Goh sharing that Andrew Smith's film FINDING INSPIRATION has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Night at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place community centre at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 29 October between 5 PM to 7 PM. The film will be screened along with other mental health themed films. This is a free event with free food and beverages. Please attend and spread the word!

Bio:

Andrew Smith is a devoted husband and father who remains deeply committed to family, community, and creating work with purpose.
He's also an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and creative leader based in Charlotte, North Carolina. As the founder of Nova Initia Productions and Finding Inspiration Foundation, he uses film and community-centered storytelling to explore mental health, strengthen human connection, and create space for meaningful conversation. His work spans narrative filmmaking, documentary production, branded content, live events, and educational programming.

With experience across directing, producing, cinematography, sound, and post-production, Andrew brings both a creative vision and a practical, collaborative approach to every project. At the heart of his work is a belief that stories can help people feel seen, challenge stigma, and inspire lasting change.

Logline: What begins as a simple morning slowly unravels into something deeper—revealing a darker truth.

Kagan Goh sharing that Actor/Writer Marlo Browne's film INVISIBLE has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Fi...
10/16/2026

Kagan Goh sharing that Actor/Writer Marlo Browne's film INVISIBLE has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Night at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place community centre at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 29 October between 5 PM to 7 PM. The film will be screened along with other mental health themed films. This is a free event with free food and beverages. Please attend and spread the word!

Bio:

Marlo Browne is a Barbadian award-winning poet, spoken word artist, host, filmmaker and self-published author of 5 poetry books, currently living in Langley City, BC.

Logline: In a city full of people, one man remains unseen. Through quiet observation and fleeting moments of connection, INVISIBLE explores the loneliness of belonging nowhere—and the journey toward finding a place to belong.

Kagan Goh sharing that Actor/Writer Ana Smith's film LOONIE  has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Ni...
10/16/2026

Kagan Goh sharing that Actor/Writer Ana Smith's film LOONIE has been officially selected for the Mad Arts Indie Film Night at the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place community centre at 609 Helmcken Street on Thursday 29 October between 5 PM to 7 PM. The film will be screened along with other mental health themed films. This is a free event with free food and beverages. Please attend and spread the word!

Ana Smith, a resilient Vancouver filmmaker, initially navigated life from the tar sands of Alberta to the Canadian Armed Forces before a car accident rerouted her to pursue filmmaking in Vancouver. Despite facing challenges, including a battle with slow-onset schizophrenia, Ana's passion for film persisted. After returning to formal film study in 2018, she graduated from Langara College's Film Arts Program. Today, she continues to contribute to the industry while working in harm reduction and transitional housing for Vancouver Coastal Health.

Logline: Bullied for her schizophrenia, a young woman in a Vancouver women’s shelter finds friendship with a new resident, but sharing a joint puts her bed and her chance at stable housing at risk.

Address

The Gathering Place Community Centre 609 Helmcken St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5S4
Vancouver, BC
V5T3B2

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 8pm
Tuesday 9am - 8pm
Wednesday 9am - 8pm
Thursday 9am - 8pm
Friday 9am - 8pm
Saturday 9am - 8pm
Sunday 9am - 8pm

Telephone

+16044463366

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