The Art We Are Has Spent Years Making Room for Kamloops to Create
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — The downtown Kamloops café-gallery began with a simple 2008 vision: create a safe place where people could display their creativity and see it honoured by their community.
September 3, 2026 · By Justin Plosz · Kamloops, British Columbia · Business · 5 min read read
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Kamloops, British Columbia — September 3, 2026
The Art We Are began with a belief that can be easy to overlook: creativity becomes more powerful when a community makes room for it.
The independent downtown Kamloops business says its original vision in August 2008 was to create a safe place for people to display their creativity. Before food and drinks became central to the business, it was a local art gallery. The art still covering its walls and shelves is not decoration added after the fact; it is the reason the place exists.
That history gives every cup of coffee and homemade meal a wider meaning. Customers are not only entering a café. They are entering a small, long-running piece of Kamloops’ creative commons.
Local Support Built Into the Daily Shopping List
Community support at The Art We Are is not limited to a slogan. Its official story names a long list of local and British Columbia suppliers woven into everyday operations—from nearby produce and regional dairy to artisan cheese, coffee, poultry, tea, printing and furniture.
That list is unusually specific, and specificity is what makes the commitment credible. The café explains where ingredients and services come from and names the people and businesses behind parts of the room itself.
The result is a local multiplier hiding in plain sight. A lunch or coffee can support the café, a regional producer, a local printer, a craftsperson and an artist whose work is being seen by someone new.
A Stage Small Enough for a First Brave Step
The café’s community programming has included live music, open-mic nights, fundraisers, art shows, speaker series and a poster alley promoting local events. Its Coffee House Confessions project began with small notes tucked into the walls and grew into a performance event at Riverside Park in 2015.
That progression says something important about local culture. Large stages are memorable, but small stages are often where someone first decides to participate. A café can give a new performer, artist or speaker a lower-pressure place to be heard.
The Art We Are’s contribution is not only the events it has hosted. It is the permission those events give people to try.
An Unsung Hero at Human Scale
The Art We Are is not a corporate cultural strategy. It is a small business doing the patient work of sourcing carefully, cooking, cleaning, hanging art, promoting events and welcoming people back.
Those tasks can look ordinary one at a time. Over years, they create continuity. Artists know there is a wall. Musicians know there is a room. Customers know there is a local table where many parts of Kamloops can meet.
That is why the business belongs in a national newsroom. Canada’s communities are held together not only by institutions, but by independent places willing to treat creativity as something everyone should be able to share.
Key takeaways
- The Art We Are began in 2008 with a vision to give creativity a safe place to be displayed.
- The Kamloops business was a local art gallery before food and drinks became central to its identity.
- Its walls, shelves, events and open mics continue to give local creators a public platform.
- The café publicly identifies many local and British Columbia suppliers used in its daily operations.
- Coffee House Confessions grew from notes in the café walls into a Riverside Park performance event.
- The business shows how a small independent café can become long-term community infrastructure.
Frequently asked questions
- What is The Art We Are?
- The Art We Are is an independent café and local art gallery in downtown Kamloops, British Columbia.
- When did The Art We Are begin?
- Its official history says the original vision to create a safe place for people to display creativity began in August 2008.
- Does The Art We Are support local artists?
- Yes. The business says local art is displayed throughout its walls and shelves, and interested local artists can contact the café about exhibiting work.
- What community events has the café hosted?
- Its official site lists live music, open-mic nights, fundraisers, art shows, speaker series and Coffee House Confessions.
- Where is The Art We Are?
- The business lists 246 Victoria Street in downtown Kamloops. Visitors should confirm current hours through the official website.
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