Katie Stewart and a few "young and bright artists" working on an upcoming edition for SAD Magazine piled into a van recently and tried to capture what it was like to live in the suburbs.
The suburbs, Stewart said, was a general term that meant "anything outside of Vancouver."
One of their stops was Aldergrove, where photographer Robyn Humphreys narrowed her lens on the doorway to a 7-Eleven store, a popular hangout for teens.
"It was such a cool experience because we wanted to find unconventional scenes," said Stewart, who is also a photographer.
Humphrey's snapshot - along with paintings and illustrations from 10 other artists - will be shown in Coquitlam this and next month as part of a new display by SAD, short for Stories Art and Design.
The show in Place des Arts' Mezzanine Gallery is part of a travelling exhibition that opened in September at the Moat gallery at the Vancouver Public Library during the Word on the Street festival; after Coquitlam, the next stop will be in the Fraser Valley, Stewart said.
Stewart, a Chilliwack native who inherited SAD Magazine from her two friends in 2011 as its creative director, said her print publication aims to give a voice to emerging artists and writers in Vancouver.
And as each edition contains about 60% visual art, "it's really important for us to create a publication and also make a difference in the community," she said, referring to the art show.
In the display, Stewart will share her photographs as well as an essay about what it's like to grow up gay in the suburbs. Chilliwack, she said, is "a haven for a lot of queer folk" although it's predominately a religious community.
Meanwhile, also opening on Nov. 13 will be an exhibit from Julie Dives (Mementos, mixed media). The annual Positively Petite miniature show also launches, with various works from more than 30 artists such as Jay Rudolph (tapestry), Laura Stark (watercolour) and Joyce Gillespie (clay). Many artists will be in attendance at the opening reception at Place des Arts (1120 Brunette Ave.) at 7 p.m. All miniature works are for sale and the exhibition will be replenished frequently.
@jwarrenTC
