Fees and meeting times come from each group's own website in October 2026. They change, so check before you go.

Richmond has more art clubs than most people realise. The City of Richmond lists eight resident art groups at the Richmond Cultural Centre and its Annex on Minoru Gate, and says every one of them welcomes new members. Between them they cover painting and drawing, photography, pottery, weaving and spinning, textiles, jewellery-making, and Chinese calligraphy and brush painting.

In short
• Most Richmond art clubs meet at the Richmond Cultural Centre (7700 Minoru Gate) or its Annex (7660 Minoru Gate).
• Annual fees run from $50 to $250, and several groups let you try a meeting for free first.
• Most welcome beginners. The pottery club is the exception: members usually take its classes first.

Which art clubs meet in Richmond, BC?

These eight groups are on the City of Richmond's resident art groups list, with each group's yearly fee as of October 2026:

Richmond Artists Guild: painting and drawing, all media. $100
Richmond Photo Club: photography. $60
Richmond Potters' Club: pottery and ceramics. $250
Richmond Weavers and Spinners Guild: weaving, spinning and dyeing. $60
Textile Arts Guild of Richmond: textile arts. $50
Richmond Gem and Mineral Society: lapidary, silversmithing and casting. $70 single, $100 family
Chinese Artists Association of Richmond: Chinese painting and calligraphy. Fee not published
Chinese Ink and Brush Society: Chinese calligraphy. Fee not published

Painting and drawing: Richmond Artists Guild

The Richmond Artists Guild, founded in 1955, is the city's general art club, and its website says members of every level are welcome, from beginners to professionals. Members meet on the second Wednesday of each month, 6:15 to 8:45 pm, in the Creativity Room of the Cultural Centre Annex, with monthly demonstrations covering all media. Membership is $100 a year.

You don't have to join to take part. The guild runs drop-in life drawing in the Cultural Centre's Painting Room, open to all levels, and a Tuesday open studio from mid-October to mid-March for a small drop-in fee. From mid-March to mid-October, its plein air group paints outdoors on Tuesdays, with no fee and no membership needed.

Photography: Richmond Photo Club

The Richmond Photo Club has met since 1980. From September to June it meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 pm, at the Cultural Centre Annex and on Zoom, with photo walks, field trips and competitions in between. Members range from beginners to advanced photographers.

It is one of the easiest clubs to try: newcomers can attend two meetings free before deciding, by contacting the club through its website. Membership is $60 a year, or $30 if you join between February 1 and August 31. The club is a member of the Community Arts Council of Richmond; see its profile in our directory.

Pottery and ceramics: Richmond Potters' Club

The Richmond Potters' Club runs a studio on the second floor of the Richmond Cultural Centre and holds two public sales a year, in April and November. It is the one club where the usual way in is a class. Its adult classes cover handbuilding, the wheel and glazing. They are for ages 19 and up, need no clay experience, run 27 hours with at most 10 students, and start in January, April, July and September. You register through the City of Richmond's recreation system: look for course names starting with "Potter's Club".

Membership is $250 a year and has a waitlist. It is mainly for potters who have finished the club's adult classes and can work on their own, and members share studio clean-up and volunteer duties.

Weaving, spinning and textiles

Two guilds share the fibre arts.

The Richmond Weavers and Spinners Guild works out of the Fibre Arts Studio at the Richmond Cultural Centre. The studio is open for drop-ins on Wednesdays from noon to 5 pm, September to June, with a monthly meeting at 1 pm during studio time. Membership is $60 a year and is open to weavers, spinners, dyers and other fibre artists at every level, beginners included. The guild also runs weaving classes.

The Textile Arts Guild of Richmond (TAGOR), formed in 1975, covers every kind of textile art, including creative mending and repurposing, and makes items for Richmond community partners. Its studio is on the second floor at 7700 Minoru Gate, with drop-in sessions from 9 am to 1 pm on Monday, Thursday and Friday most weeks from September to June. General meetings are on the fourth Tuesday of the month (not July or August), and members can also join by Zoom. Guests may attend one general meeting free and are asked to bring a sample of their work. Membership is $50 a year. TAGOR is a member of the council; see its directory profile.

Jewellery and lapidary: Richmond Gem and Mineral Society

Founded in 1957, the Richmond Gem and Mineral Society is about more than rock collecting: members cut and polish stones, make silver jewellery and do lost-wax casting. General meetings are on the fourth Tuesday of the month, 6:30 to 8:45 pm (not in July or December), mostly in the Cultural Centre Atrium. Membership runs September to August, costs $70 for one person or $100 for a family, and includes use of the lapidary workshop and silversmithing room.

Chinese painting and calligraphy

The Chinese Artists Association of Richmond is a non-profit group of calligraphers and painters that runs weekly lessons taught by volunteer teachers. The Chinese Ink and Brush Society brings together Richmond residents interested in Chinese calligraphy and meets once a week at the Cultural Centre. Neither has its own website or publishes its fees; the City of Richmond's resident art groups page is the place to find how to reach them. Both took part in Culture Days 2026 at the Cultural Centre.

How do you choose an art club?

Start with the medium you want to work in, then decide what you want from a club: classes, studio time, or company and critique. Visiting as a guest is the quickest way to find out whether a group suits you.

Learning from scratch? Start with classes. The Potters' Club and the Weavers and Spinners Guild both teach beginners.
Need space and equipment? The fibre guilds' drop-in studios and the lapidary workshop give members room to work.
Want feedback and company? The Artists Guild and the Photo Club meet in the evening for demonstrations, talks and competitions.
Not sure yet? The Photo Club offers two free meetings, TAGOR offers one, and the Artists Guild's plein air group needs no membership.
Check the club year. Several clubs run their year from September to August, so joining in the fall gets you the most for your fee.

Culture Days is another good way in. Each fall, many of these groups run free demonstrations at the Cultural Centre; in 2026, Culture Days ran from September 18 to October 4.

Also worth knowing: Richmond Arts Coalition

If you want to speak up for the arts as well as make them, the Richmond Arts Coalition is a volunteer-led group founded in 2005 that advocates for Richmond artists. It runs the Cornerspace exhibition space in the Cultural Centre Annex, and individual membership is $20 a year.

Where the Community Arts Council fits in

The Community Arts Council of Richmond is not a club that meets every week. It is a registered charity that has supported the arts in Richmond since 1970, through juried exhibitions such as Shades of Fall, the Faces of Richmond portrait exhibition, the Reach to Teach program for Grade 6 and 7 students, and a public directory of Richmond artists and groups.

Clubs can join as Corporate/Group members ($100 a year) for recognition and invitations to council events. Individual artists who join as Participating members ($35 a year) get their own public profile and can take part in member exhibitions. Become a member or browse the directory.

Frequently asked questions

Are there free art clubs in Richmond, BC?

Some activities are free. The Richmond Artists Guild's plein air group charges no fee and needs no membership, the Richmond Photo Club lets newcomers attend two meetings free, and the Textile Arts Guild welcomes guests to one general meeting. During Culture Days each fall, many groups run free demonstrations at the Cultural Centre.

Do I need experience to join?

Usually not. The Artists Guild, Photo Club, Weavers and Spinners Guild and Textile Arts Guild all welcome beginners. The Potters' Club works differently: membership is mainly for people who have completed its adult classes, and those classes need no experience.

Where do Richmond art clubs meet?

Most meet at the Richmond Cultural Centre, 7700 Minoru Gate, or the Cultural Centre Annex at 7660 Minoru Gate. The Photo Club and the Textile Arts Guild also let members join meetings on Zoom.

How much does an art club cost in Richmond?

As of October 2026, yearly fees range from $50 (Textile Arts Guild) and $60 (Photo Club, Weavers and Spinners Guild) to $70 (Gem and Mineral Society), $100 (Artists Guild) and $250 (Potters' Club). Some groups charge extra for drop-in sessions or classes.

Sources, checked October 16, 2026: City of Richmond, Resident Art Groups; Richmond Artists Guild; Richmond Photo Club; Richmond Potters' Club; Richmond Weavers and Spinners Guild; Textile Arts Guild of Richmond; Richmond Gem and Mineral Society; Culture Days; Richmond Arts Coalition.