View of the Howe Sound. Image courtesy of Björn Borgers

Supporting the visual arts
and wildlife conservation
in British Columbia.

Michael Audain with his wife, Yoshiko Karasawa, 2023. Image courtesy of Ashia Bonus.

Who
We Are

Founded by Michael Audain, the Audain Foundation was established in 1997 for the purpose of supporting the visual arts in British Columbia with grants and endowments for capital projects and exhibitions at major public art galleries and educational institutions. More recently, the Foundation has expanded its scope to include support for the Canadian artist, Jean Paul Riopelle, as well as an interest in wildlife conservation.

The Foundation has been instrumental in founding Whistler’s Audain Art Museum, the Audain Art Museum Foundation, the Grizzly Bear Foundation and the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation which all operate independently under the Canada Not for Profit Corporations Act.

1997

Audain Foundation Founded
The Audain Foundation was founded in 1997 by Michael Audain and Yoshiko Karasawa.

2004

Audain Prize for the Visual Arts
The first Audain Prize for the Visual Arts was awarded to Ann Kipling in 2004 for her extraordinary contribution to the arts in British Columbia.

2007

School for Contemporary Art, SFU
The new location for Simon Fraser University’s School of Contemporary Art in Downtown Vancouver was announced, financially supported by the Audain Foundation.
Audain Visual Artist in Residence, SFU
The Audain Foundation endowed the Audain Visual Artist in Residence program at Simon Fraser University.
Audain Curator of Indigenous Art, NGC
The Audain Foundation endowed the Audain Curator of Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Canada.

2008

Emerging Artist Acquisition Fund, VAG
The Audain Foundation endowed the Emerging Artist Acquisition Fund at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Critical and Curatorial Studies, UBC
The Audain Foundation endowed the Critical and Curatorial Studies Program at the University of British Columbia.
Audain Foundation Graduate Fellowship, UBC
The Audain Foundation endowed a Graduate Fellowship for students in the Critical and Curatorial Studies Program at the University of British Columbia.
Audain Curator of First Nations Art, AGGV
The Audain Foundation endowed the Audain Curator of First Nations Art at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

2009

Audain Professorship in Contemporary Art, UVIC
The Audain Foundation endowed the Audain Professorship in Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest at the University of Victoria.

2010

Artists for Kids, Gordon and Marion Smith Foundation
The Artists for Kids Gallery was announced, financially supported by the Audain Foundation.

2012

Audain Art Centre, UBC
The Audain Art Centre at the University of British Columbia was announced, financially supported by the Audain Foundation.

2013

The Audain Art Museum Announced
The Audain Art Museum in Whistler was announced.
Audain School of Visual Arts, ECUAD
The Audain School of Visual Arts was announced at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, financially supported by the Audain Foundation.

2014

The Polygon Gallery Announced
The Polygon Gallery was announced, located in North Vancouver, financially supported by the Audain Foundation.

2016

Audain Art Museum Opening
The Audain Art Museum opened in Whistler, financed by the Audain Foundation.
Grizzly Bear Foundation
The Grizzly Bear Foundation was founded in 2016, shortly after which the Board of Inquiry Report was commissioned.

2017

Reconciliation Pole, UBC
Chief James Hart’s Reconciliation Pole was raised at the University of British Columbia in 2017, financially supported by the Audain Foundation.

2018

Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation Founded
Under the initiative of Michael Audain, the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation was formed by its six founding members: Michael Audain OC OBC, Yseult Riopelle, André Desmarais OC QC, The Honorable Serge Joyal CP OC QC MSRC Ad.E, Pierre Lassonde OC GOQ and John R. Porter CM OQ C.LH O.AL MSRC Ph.D.
Audain Chief Curator, The Polygon Gallery
The Audain Foundation endowed the Audain Chief Curator at The Polygon Gallery.
Arts Umbrella, Granville Island
Arts Umbrella announced the construction of its new location on Granville Island, financially supported by the Audain Foundation.

2019

Audain Prize & Audain Travel Awards
The Audain Prize award was increased to $100,000 in 2019. In addition, the Audain Foundation sponsored 5 annual student travel awards at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver & Okanagan), Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and the University of Victoria.
Chair in Historical Indigenous Art, UBC
The Audain Foundation endowed the Audain Chair in Historical Indigenous Art at the University of British Columbia.

2020

Art Acquisition Fund, Audain Art Museum
The Audain Foundation endowed the Art Acquisition Fund at the Audain Art Museum.
Public Art Program, St Paul’s Hospital
The Audain Foundation announced a major gift to support the public art program at the new St Paul’s Hospital.

2021

Vancouver Art Gallery
In November 2021, the Audain Foundation announced a pledge of $100 million in support of the construction of the new Vancouver Art Gallery building.

2022

Espace Riopelle, MNBAQ
The construction of the newest wing of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec was announced in collaboration with the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation. This project is financially supported by the Audain Foundation.

2023

Audain School of Art & Design, Arts Umbrella
In October 2023, the Audain Foundation announced a major gift to the endowment fund at the Arts Umbrella Foundation, recognized through the naming of the Audain School of Art & Design.
Manabu Ikeda in residence at the Audain Art Museum 2023. Image courtesy of Michael Levin.

Visual
Arts

The Foundation supports innovative exhibitions, education programs, publications and art acquisitions with special privilege given to British Columbian Artists and Canadian artist Jean Paul Riopelle in the provinces of British Columbia and Quebec and in Ottawa at the National Gallery of Canada.

Please contact us for more information about visual art grant applications.

Grizzly bear in the Khutzeymateen. Image courtesy of Doria and Jim Moodie.

Wildlife
Conservation

The Foundation supports organizations carrying out research, demonstration, and educational projects with the purpose of protecting and conserving wildlife in British Columbia’s land and surrounding waters.

Please contact us for more information about wildlife conservation grant applications.

Haida Watchmen, 2004, bronze, by 2021 Audain Prize Recipient, James Hart. Private Collection. Image courtesy of Christina Symons Creative.

Audain
Prize

The Audain Prize for the Visual Arts was created by the Audain Foundation in 2004 to recognize outstanding achievements of British Columbia’s artists and is one of Canada’s most prestigious honours for the visual arts. The recipient is chosen through a jury process and the $100,000 award is presented annually in the fall.

audainprize.com
The 2022 Audain Travel Award recipients, pictured with Michael Audain and Chantal Shah. Image courtesy of Scott Little Photography.

Audain Travel
Awards

The Audain Travel Awards provide a grant in the amount of $7,500 to five young artists enrolled in a full-time visual arts programs at the undergraduate or graduate level, with the goal of enabling them to travel and view art. The Foundation partners with the following universities for this opportunity; University of British Columbia, University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University and Emily Carr University of Art & Design.

Audain Art Museum. Image courtesy of Michael Elkan Photography.

Audain Art
Museum

Founded and built by Michael Audain and Yoshiko Karasawa, the Audain Art Museum opened to the public in 2016 with the purpose of collecting and exhibiting art from British Columbia. Designed by Patkau Architects, the 56,000 square foot Museum’s permanent collection includes art from the Audain Collection while special exhibitions by Canadian and international artists rotate in the temporary exhibition galleries. The Museum is governed by its Board of Trustees.

audainartmuseum.com
Beau Dick, Dzunukwa Mask (2007), Photo courtesy of Vancouver Art Gallery.

Board of
Directors

Michael Audain is Chairman of Polygon Homes Ltd., one of British Columbia’s leading home builders. An active supporter of the arts, Mr. Audain is Chair of the Audain Foundation, the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation, and the Audain Art Museum Foundation. He is past Chair of the National Gallery of Canada and the Vancouver Art Gallery. He is also a Trustee of the Audain Art Museum, a Director of the Art Canada Institute, and Director Emeritus of the National Gallery of Canada Foundation.
Fenya Audain grew up in a home surrounded by art and developed a deep appreciation for it. Art and design have always been in her life, she studied horticulture and over the years has created many eco-friendly gardens with her artistic eye. Family and a holistic way of life are top priorities for Fenya. She is a former board member of the Grizzly Bear Foundation as she believes strongly in helping to preserve grizzlies and all the eco systems associated with them. Fenya currently serves on the Audain Foundation Wildlife Advisory Committee.
Kyra Audain has been a director of the Audain Foundation since 1999. She is also on the board of the Audain Art Museum and the Audain Art Museum Foundation. A graduate of the University of Victoria, she has held several positions in the legal administration field, most recently as Assistant to the University Counsel at UBC. Kyra loves to visit museums and is an avid film fan. Kyra and her partner live in East Vancouver.
Daina Augaitis is an independent curator, writer and arts administrator. She is Vancouver Art Gallery’s Chief Curator Emerita where she was Interim Director (2019-20) and Chief Curator/Associate Director (1996-2017) working with a team of dedicated curators on the Gallery's exhibitions, publications, collections and interpretive programs, ensuring that local artists were featured in diverse international contexts. Daina has worked in public galleries, artist-run centres, served on arts juries and boards including the Shadbolt Foundation (1997-2017).
Neil Chrystal is President and Chief Executive Officer of Polygon Homes Ltd., one of British Columbia’s leading home builders. Neil manages all aspects of Polygon's homebuilding activities in Greater Vancouver, and currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Whistler Development Corporation and the Audain Art Museum. He also previously served on the Board of the Urban Development Institute – Pacific Region and the Business Council of Canada.
Cameron Cope is the Managing Director of ReGen Homes Ltd., which builds regenerative homes that enable people to have a positive impact on the environment and the communities in which they live. He is the founder of OurSquamish Placemaking Society, which works to improve public spaces for everybody, and sits on the board of the Squamish Community Housing Society. When not working, he loves adventures in the wild and spending time with his young family.
A native of Japan, Yoshiko Karasawa moved to Canada in the 1970s. Ms. Karasawa has been a Director of the Audain Foundation since 1997, and for nine years was a Director of the Vancouver Opera. She is also a long-time supporter of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Karasawa Museum at Burnaby’s Nikkei Cultural Centre. Her main interest is encouraging the Asian community to participate in the cultural life of British Columbia.
John McKercher KC is a retired lawyer having practiced corporate law in Vancouver for 50 years. Born in Montreal, he moved to Vancouver in 1962. John has served as a Director and Chair of the B.C. Borstal Association and the BC. Children’s Hospital, and as a Director or Trustee of the Audain Art Museum, the Grizzly Bear Foundation, the Audain Foundation, the Vancouver Art Gallery Foundation, and the Audain Art Museum Foundation.
Jonathan O’Connor is partner with the law firm of MLT Aikins LLP, specializing in corporate and securities law for both private and public companies. Prior to receiving his law degree he grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, of Irish immigrant parents and moved to Vancouver in 2002. In addition to his role with the Audain Foundation, he has served as a Director for the Contemporary Art Gallery of Vancouver, Mining for Miracles and Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club.
Joel Watson CPA CA is a partner in a Vancouver based public practice accounting firm. He provides accounting and tax services to a diverse client base of individuals, trusts, estates and private companies. Joel has served on the boards of several private and public companies, in addition to the Foundation. Joel is a lifelong Vancouver resident. Joel enjoys sports and family activities, including his years as a volunteer minor hockey coach for his son and daughter.
Suzanne Veit has over 16 years’ experience as a public servant with the Government of British Columbia, having been appointed to multiple positions. including Deputy Minister of Women’s Equality and Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Earlier in her career, she was the principal of a consulting firm that specialized in: environmental impact assessment; and program evaluation. Suzanne is a former Board member of the Grizzly Bear Foundation and co-authored the Board of Inquiry Report which helped to achieve the ban on trophy hunting of grizzly bears in the Province of British Columbia.
Management
Chantal Shah, Executive Director
Charley McIntyre, Associate Executive Director (wildlife)

 

The Audain Foundation offices are located at:

900 – 1333 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6H 4C2

Grant
Inquiries

The general mandate of the Audain Foundation is to financially support
qualified donees as defined by the Income Tax Act in the areas of
the visual arts and wildlife conservation.

Please contact us for more information about our grant opportunities
and application process.

info@audainfoundation.com | 604.871.4211

Media Requests
& General
Inquiries

Media requests or general inquiries can be made to the contact below.
info@audainfoundation.com | 604.871.4211

Donations

If you are interested in making a donation to the Audain Foundation in support of our visual arts or wildlife programs we accept donations, bequests and legacy planning. Please contact us for further information.