Billboard on Main and 24th Ave & Collectible Artist Cards
The Acorn and Lila restaurants celebrate the deep connections between food, art, music, and local economies. Like a great dish, culture is layered—built from the hands of many, shaped by history, and brought to life through creativity and collaboration.
This artist series is part of a larger project championing artists, amplifying their work on a billboard at Main St. and King Edward and reinforcing the idea that art—like food—nourishes, inspires, and sustains communities. By supporting independent creators, we strengthen the local economy and honour the stories that shape our cultural landscape.
Eat well. Support art. Build culture.
The Acorn and Lila Restaurants
TasteMakers Artist Billboard Series
The Acorn Artist Series 2016 - 2019
The Acorn Artist Series, which ran from 2016 to 2019, highlighted Vancouver artists whose work we deeply admired and wanted to share in our own small way. Each month we created a new artist card and presented it to our guests at the end of their dining experience, in hopes that they would take it home as a keepsake of The Acorn and as an introduction to the incredible work being created by some of our city’s finest emerging and established artists.
Fiona Ackerman - Victory Garden Oil and Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 36” 2017
Les Ramsay - The Adventures of Atrevida Reef 2019 Oil on canvas 72" x 54"
ME Sparks - Dream On Oil on Canvas with Metal Grommets 36” x 23” 2018
Ben Reeves Silver Oil and Acrylic on Canvas 78” x 60” 2017
Gabriel Cabrera - Untitled 2018
Jennifer Latour - Frosted Scene 2017
Daniel Jefferies - Luck Rests Oil on Arches Paper 19" x 23" 2017
Janice Wu - Still Life III 2017 9" x 12" pencil & gouache on paper
Jonathan Syme - Clear Path To Nowhere 18 x 14” Oil on Canvas 2015
Michelle Nguyen - Afterparty 39" x 61.5" Oil and Pastel on Canvas 2016
Colleen Hesslin - Floating Vessels in Time and Space Dye on sewn canvas and linen 229 x 203cm (90x80") 2016
Johan Bjorck - The Game Oil and shellac on canvas 38"x38" 2013
Ryan Heshka - Wood Gang of Lake Winnipegosis Gouache and mixed media on vintage paper 7" x 9.5” 2015
Vanessa Brown - Ovule Ultracal, Chrysanthemum Button Poms, Steel H: 6 3/4" x W: 6" x D: 6" 2016
Will Rafuse - The Acorn Oil on Canvas 12” x 12" 2015
Andy Dixon - Teal Bouquet Acrylic and Oil Pastel on Canvas. 33"x52" 2014
Curtis Grahauer - Barrowtown Pump Station, 11 April 2015 Black and white photograph from 4x5" negative
Howie Tsui - Flared Nostrils from Bad Trip, New Religion & Regeneration collage 2012
John Burgess - Figure Disruption Portrait #2 Risograph print on archival paper 12"X18" 2014 ed. of 12
Laura Piasta - Stone Fruit Acrylic paint on hydro-stone 15"x8"x9" 2015
Ryan Mathieson - Future Self Inkjet to C-print 14" x 17" Edition of 2 + AP 2013
Steven Hubert - Desert Theatre Projection with Scorpion and Unusual Text Oil on canvas 75x101 2015
Dierdre McAdams - Thinking About It Oil and Acrylic on Panel 20"x24" 2013
Elizabeth Zvonar - Soup Tureen Digital light jet print of a hand-cut collage 20”X25" 2012 ed. of 5
Shelley Penfold - Untitled Acrylic on Canvas 30" x 40" 2013
Angela Fama - It's a Sign 002 C-Print on Dibond 44"x44" 2013
Angus Ferguson - Demeter Series (detail) Oil on Canvas Dimensions Variable 2013
Jennilee Marigomen - Geneve at Deer Lake 30cm x 40cm - ed. 8 2010
Karin Bubas - River Phoenix (In Green Plaid) Watercolour and Guache on paper 10"x14" 2013
Lila is a modern Indian restaurant located at 3941 Main Street, half a block North of The Acorn, in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. Opened in May 2024, it is a collaboration between Chef Meeru Dhalwala, co-founder/chef of Vij's, and Shira Blustein, founder of The Acorn. The restaurant emphasizes sustainability and offers a menu of inventive, pescatarian and plant-forward dishes that blend traditional Indian flavours with contemporary techniques. The interior features lush greenery, creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere, complemented by a hidden garden patio.