What is the Papercut Arcade?

A large banner image of a public, in-person event. The photo shows an artist doing performance work with an audience around a round table. — Image description: photograph of a group of people, wearing grey conical party hats, standing around a round table where a cake is being served.
Credit: 2020 – Inedible Cakes, Performance by Louise Chow. Photo by Kay Slater.

The Papercut Arcade Collective was formed with the intention to run interactive events, workshops and exhibitions. We aim to produce art and games, share and inspire each other through creative challenges, and to create safer spaces to explore creativity and art with like-minded folks.

Our collective strives to be creative group for people of all races, abilities, identities, and levels of education. We wish to respectfully acknowledge that we host events, and play as uninvited guest on the stolen (unceded), ancestral, and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.

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Open Call for 2022 Submissions

Join us as we make, discuss, play, create, and share.

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Event Image — Image Description: A white hand holds a small palm shaped calendar with handwritten days of the week at the top, and the month January at the bottom.

It’s a Date

February 26th, 2022
Call for Submissions: OPEN NOW, deadline Feb 5th
An online exhibition using readymade calendars
Curated and hosted by Jon Dawes

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Image Description: 3 skeletons, falling from the top of the page through a white space. Top skeleton reaches right, middle reaches left, bottom is facing up, head towards the viewer.

CYOW #5: Skeletons

Make along with us throughout the month of April with live weekly discord studio hours!

Call for Submissions Deadline: May 6th
Salon Date: May 21st, 2022 – 7PM PST (discord)
Showrunner and Collective Facilitator: Louise Chow

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Image Description: Black and white photo of a white person’s shins wearing mismatched socks on a harringbone wood floor. Other single socks are scattered about.

The Missing Socks

February 13th, 2023
An Open-Call Art Show on Inevitability, the Void, Universal Truths, and Domesticity -Curated by Kay Slater

Image description: Black and white image of a monument of speared horsemen (left). On the right, text reads – Epic Poetry: A long narrative poem celebrating the great deeds of legendary heroes, in a grand ceremonious style. The hero is usually protected by or event (sic) descended from gods, performs superhuman feats, and engages in huge battles and long-spanning voyages.

Epic Poetry RPG

Fall/Winter 2022 (Project Jam TBA),
Epic Poetry + RPG Mashup Jam Month
Curated and hosted by Chris Slater

Forthcoming Community Events:

Our collective and membership are involved in a wide range of creative challenges, events, personal projects and shows throughout the year. Check out what we’re up to outside of the Arcade. Updated seasonally.

Check out the listings

Join Our Mailing List!

Stay in the know. Be informed when we open calls for submissions. Learn about our forthcoming events!