Canadian Indigenous Art (CIA), Nanaimo’s only dedicated Indigenous art gallery, will move from 215 Terminal Avenue to 78 Wharf Street and reopen May 2 2026. The gallery has been open for nearly 40 years in its primary location in North Vancouver, but has had a Nanaimo location since 2023.
The owner of CIA, and collector of First Nations art, Maike Marnet, said that the gallery was started to help First Nations artists in a space that was already owned and didn’t have the same pressures to have sales pay a mortgage or rent. Now, it represents numerous Coast Salish artists, including members of the Squamish Nation who market their works across BC. Marnet says the gallery’s relocation should “sell more art in the city,” which ultimately benefits artists.
According to Marnet, the new space on Wharf Street is larger and will be able to hold more inventory. She hopes this will mean the gallery can feature a different artist each month and host events for the community, such as carving demonstrations and open houses. Thanks to the new location’s proximity to Nanaimo’s annual summer night market, the gallery will also “leave its doors open longer.”
According to the CIA website, Maike Marnet began collecting Canadian Indigenous art over 30 years ago and in 1999 launched Canadian Indigenous Art as an online gallery focused on promoting art from the Squamish Nation to collectors in North America and around the World. Now CIA offers one of the largest collections of West Coast indigenous art, encompassing a territory on both sides of the Georgia Strait as far as the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. and along the Fraser River to Hope.
The original Nanaimo location on Terminal saw little success due to low foot traffic, despite the extensive collection of Coast Salish carvings, paintings, and handmade merchandise. Management is hoping for more community engagement through events and artist open houses following its reopening.
Jennifer Tryhorn, the Manager of CIA Nanaimo, said to “do right by the art, [the gallery] needed to be in a spot where more people could actually walk through the door and see it.” Its Terminal location was difficult for the public to find. Tryhorn hopes that the relocation will be a fresh start.
Tryhorn hopes more foot traffic will mean more sales, and more locals and visitors appreciating the gallery’s beautiful Indigenous works. The CIA wants “to get settled, make this new spot a success, and be a friendly and reliable staple in the community, where people feel welcome to come in and learn something, and where the artists know they are being well-represented.”
Visitors are invited to peruse the complete list of artists CIA represents, and then come into the new store Monday to Friday 10 AM to 5 PM to see the new space.
