Announcing the 2026 Incubator Microgrant Awardees
Comox Valley Arts is delighted to announce the recipients of our 2026 Incubator Microgrants. This year, ten community-driven projects will bring art out of the studio and into the parks, gardens, marinas, and street corners of the Comox Valley — and every one of them invites you to take part.
The Incubator Microgrant program exists to remove barriers for artists with a spark of an idea and the drive to share it. These are grassroots, artist-led projects rooted in participation. Whether you stop to have a poem written for you on a vintage typewriter, add a stitch to a community quilt, or pick up a piece of charcoal for the first time, this year’s cohort is designed to include you.
Here are the ten projects we’re proud to support:
Made Here: Container Murals & Community Arts Showcase — Megan Hutchens transforms two shipping containers at Camp Denman into murals, paired with a free community arts showcase on Denman Island.
Collage Studio Pop-Up — Marla Temoin and Cathy Coates host a free, all-ages pop-up collage studio in a busy public space in Courtenay, with all materials provided.
Love Poems for Strangers (and Friends) — Toni Dunne sets up her typewriter in downtown Courtenay, crafting custom poems for passersby across three summer sessions.
Superworm: An Interactive Outdoor Puppet Show — Carly Ball brings handmade puppets to the Cumberland forest for an interactive, donation-based show for children and families this August.
Herb Hangout: Community Corner at Urquhart & 4th — Emily Blezard leads a drop-in workshop to build a raised herb garden and bench at Puntledge Park, creating a lasting neighbourhood resource.
From Garden to Gesture — Krista Johnson leads two free outdoor drawing and painting workshops at Wild Bee Floral gardens, with charcoal, ink, and paper provided.
Comox Valley Cares Quilt — Nicole Bertram invites the community to stitch colour-coded squares representing local issues, with the finished quilt gifted to the new City Council.
D.I.Y. Arts & Crafts Fest — Lauren Correia fills a Courtenay park with artist-run stations, live music, and free materials for an all-ages celebration of local arts groups.
Anonymous Art — Summer 2026 — Josephine Olivier hosts four monthly mark-making evenings, producing large collaborative panels that culminate in a temporary exhibition.
Home to Me: A Community Mural Project — Zoë Biggs and Alex Maertz lead two events in a Cumberland park where participants co-create a mixed-media mural exploring what home means.
What ties these projects together is a shared belief that art belongs to everyone. None of them ask you to be an artist to take part — only to show up, get curious, and make something alongside your neighbours. Together, these ten projects turn ordinary public spaces into places of connection, colour, and conversation throughout the summer and fall.
Congratulations to all of our 2026 awardees. Watch our channels for dates and locations, and we’ll see you out there.
Featured image provided by Lauren Correria
