Audain Art Museum
50°07′ N 122°57′ WGallery$2260 min
The Audain Art Museum in Whistler Village shows the art of British Columbia from historic masterpieces to new work, and it suits skiers with a storm day or a rest day to fill. It opens Thursday to Monday only, from 11 am to 6 pm, and adult admission costs $22 plus GST in 2026.
Photo samsaundersbristol · Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Field card · Sight · No. 001 · checked 17 Oct 2026
Ski boots go in the free cloakroom.
Access
The museum is wheelchair accessible, with an elevator to the Upper Galleries and wheelchairs to borrow on a first-come basis. Accessible parking sits at the north end of Day Lot 3 and the south end of Day Lot 4, and the street-level entrance on Blackcomb Way has a five-minute drop-off zone out front.
Patkau Architects shaped the 56,000-square-foot building around the floodplain of Fitzsimmons Creek and Whistler's heavy snowfall, and it was finished in 2016. Dark metal cladding lets the outside fade into the forest shadows. Inside, warm wood lines the entrance and the main spaces. In 2018 the design won the Governor General's Medal in Architecture and a RIBA Award for International Excellence.
Michael Audain and Yoshiko Karasawa gave the museum Emily Carr's War Canoes, Alert Bay from 1912, and the Permanent Collection follows West Coast art through carving and painting to photography. James Hart's red cedar Dance Screen measures almost 4.8 m across, and the museum's current collection spotlight falls on Beau Dick's Dzunukwa Mask from 2007.
Solstice: Through Storm & Stillness runs to 12 April 2027 and treats winter as weather and as a way through hard times, and Gordon Smith and Gathie Falk are among its six artists. The show also names the Upper Galleries the Gordon Smith Mezzanine. From 20 November 2026 to 3 May 2027 the Beaverbrook Art Gallery's touring show Eleven Painters Start a War tells how the abstract group Painters Eleven pushed abstraction into Canadian galleries.
The museum stands on the shared, unceded territory of the Líl̓wat Nation and the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), as the Resort Municipality of Whistler acknowledges. Paid parking is in Municipal Day Lots 3 and 4 on either side of it. From Vancouver, Epic Rides coaches take 1 hour 45 minutes from Burrard Station to the Gateway Loop, and the museum is a few minutes' walk away on Blackcomb Way.
Worth knowing
- Check your ski boots and backpack into the free cloakroom and lockers, because the galleries don't allow either.
- Register ahead for a public guided tour, which comes with admission, or take the Go Whistler self-guided audio tour in about an hour.
- Bring children on a Sunday afternoon, when the museum runs Sunday Scribbles family art sessions from 1 pm to 3 pm.
- Leave the flash off, since flash photography isn't allowed and special exhibitions may restrict photos further.
Quick answers about Audain Art Museum
How much is the Audain Art Museum?
Adult admission to the Audain Art Museum costs $22 plus GST in 2026. Seniors pay $19 and young adults 19 to 25 pay $15, and youth 18 and under enter free.
When is the Audain Art Museum open?
The Audain Art Museum opens Thursday to Monday from 11 am to 6 pm and closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Over the 2026 holidays it also opens on 23 and 30 December and closes on 25 December.
Can you bring ski boots into the Audain Art Museum?
No. The Audain Art Museum doesn't allow ski boots or backpacks in the galleries, and it stores them free in its cloakroom and lockers.
Do you need to book the Audain Art Museum in advance?
No. The Audain Art Museum sells same-day tickets at Visitor Services, and it recommends registering ahead only for public guided tours.
What are the opening hours of Audain Art Museum?
Audain Art Museum keeps these hours: Thu–Mon 11:00–18:00; Tue–Wed closed.
How long do you need at Audain Art Museum?
Plan about 60 min at Audain Art Museum.
When is the best time to visit Audain Art Museum?
Audain Art Museum: Keep it for a storm day or a rest day between ski days from Thursday to Monday. The winter show Solstice: Through Storm & Stillness runs to 12 April 2027, and Eleven Painters Start a War joins it on 20 November 2026 and stays to 3 May 2027.
Can you get to Audain Art Museum by bike?
Bikes stay out of the building and off the railings, and the museum keeps a bike rack under the building.
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