Cheaper than a One Night Stand was started in 2001 by local artists Graeme Berglund, Steve “Breadman” Cole and Syx Langeman (known then as the collective Fracture Industries) as a new format to promote talented and underexposed artists. The concept was very simple; to have a one night art show with dozens of multi disciplined artists and with over a hundred pieces of art, all for sale at one affordable price. The format caught on immediately and nine years later has grown to become an institution with it being the largest recurring one night art show in the history of this city.

The first show took place in November of 2001 at The Sugar Refinery and was a huge success with sixty pieces selling for $75 each. The next few shows were moved to a larger venue in Yaletown and due to word of mouth we soon had line-ups around the block just to get in. We started getting contacted from all over North America by artists interested in taking part and they were sending us work from as far away as New York and Florida. We were contacted by well known local gallery represented artists who wanted to take part in The Cheaper Show just to lend there names to the event to cause a greater stature.

All of these efforts culminated in our last event, The Cheaper Show No. 8, a massive success. We took over a defunct 16,000 sq ft space in the Gastown district and filled the walls with 150 artists from all over the world. Seven hours before the doors opened, the line-up began. A diverse crowd of over 5000 showed up and purchased over 200 pieces of art in five hours. It was incredible.

The Cheaper Crew is hard at work developing and implementing new systems to support the level of public interest it has acquired over the years. We are expecting 7000-10000 at the next event and are working very hard to ensure we create the most accessible environment and to maintain our focus on the original ideals this show was founded upon.

http://thecheapershow.com