Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

An interactive art experience

Late & Unique Nighttime Alternatives (LUNA) is gearing up for a busy summer, and they’ve decided to start the season off with a night of live art, fire spinning, music and other entertainment.

Late & Unique Nighttime Alternatives (LUNA) is gearing up for a busy summer, and they’ve decided to start the season off with a night of live art, fire spinning, music and other entertainment.

Diversity: Artistic Collective will feature art displays from more than 20 local and Vancouver-based artists, hand-made mobiles, fire spinning, bands, DJs, and an interactive art station, to encourage attendees to get their hands a bit dirty.

“You’re going to be surrounded by inspired people, so you can’t help but want to create it yourself,” explained Kiran Pal-Pross, LUNA coordinator. “So we have this creation station where people will be able to dabble in clay making and mask making and painting and things on their own.”

The artists participating in the show are from Germany, Japan, Mexico, Australia, Iran, and Canada, and they have equally varied styles, ranging from abstract, to graffiti and expressionist.

Alexei Lopez Villaseca (Mexico), Andrea Mueller (Canada/Germany), Dili Hafezi (Iran), and Doerte (Germany) are just a few of the international artists who will be exhibiting alongside popular local artists at the June 27 show.

Each of the artists is also designing their own mobile, so people won’t just be looking at the walls, they’ll also have to look overhead to take in all of the artwork on display.

Diversity: Artistic Collective will be held on Friday, June 27 starting at 7 p.m. at Spruce Grove Field House. Tickets are $8.

LUNA’s other summertime events, like the LUNAFLIKS outdoor films at Lost Lake, kick off in early July.

 

Arts, culture and money

 

As part of the ongoing Sea to Sky Economic Impact Study, community focus groups will be held in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton in the coming weeks.

To date, over 250 artists, community stakeholders and arts organizations have participated in a survey to help assess the size and impact of the local cultural sector. The next step is to present the preliminary findings to focus groups, generate feedback and discuss future steps.

“Results of this study will help us to understand the magnitude and diversity of the region’s cultural assets,” said Anne Popma, project coordinator. “Those of us who are actively engaged in the arts have a sense that there’s a lot going on, with great potential for the future. But until now, we haven’t had the data to convince others that the arts are a significant part of the regional economy.”

Through the study, Popma and other organizers have discovered that 34 regional arts organizations have combined annual operating budgets of almost $8 million, employ 77 full-time and 70 part-time workers, and over 900 volunteers. Within the past five years, these organizations have also made almost $27 million in capital investments.

The focus groups will be held in Squamish on Thursday, June 26 from 9 a.m. until noon at Capilano College, in Whistler on Thursday, June 26, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Spruce Grove Field House, and in Pemberton on Friday, June 27 from 9 a.m. until noon at the SLRD boardroom.

Participants must register for the focus groups at www.seatoskycorridor.ca or by phoning 1-866-680-3926. If you are interested in participating in the survey, you can still do so until Friday, June 20, by visiting the website above, or phoning and requesting an interview.

 

B.C. celebrates 150 years

 

B.C. is celebrating its 150 th anniversary this year, and amidst the festivities and events being held to commemorate the milestone, the provincial government commissioned Harbour Publishing to produce a book that captures the beauty and diversity of the province.

British Columbia: Spirit of the People is a glossy coffee-table book, rich with imagery spanning decades from throughout the province, including many pictures by local photographers, like Bonny Makarewicz, Toshi Kawano and Randy Lincks.

The text was researched and written by respected local historian, Jean Barman. Barman has worked with the B.C. Heritage Trust, Canadian Historical Association and the Vancouver Museum Revitalization Project, and was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2002 for her writing and research on the history of Western Canada.

In addition to the commemorative book, the Squamish and Whistler Arts Councils have received a total of $13,000 in funding from the BC150 Community Arts Grants to support the Sea to Sky Stories and Whistler Children’s Art Festivals.

“The Sea to Sky corridor always does a brilliant job of showcasing our regional artistic talent,” said Joan McIntyre, MLA for West Vancouver – Garibaldi. “These festivals are especially important because they bring the community together and engage youth in the arts.”

The BC150 Community Arts Grants provide up to $10,000 and up to 75 per cent of the cost of a variety of projects, including the visual arts, dance, musical and theatre productions, as well as publications.

 

Artsy alternative

 

As summer approaches, parents begin the mad scramble to find activities to occupy their kids during the summer months. While there are plenty of outdoor sports camps in Whistler, why not let them stimulate the right side of their brain for a change?

This summer, Cary Campbell Lopes will again be offering art camps geared towards kids from age six to 14, encouraging kids to explore their creative side through art activities.

The camps will also offer a bit of outdoor recreation, with activities like nature walks and tennis. They will also be working on art projects, like nature-inspired canvas paintings, on a deck in the sunshine.

The camps are $120 and will be held on Tuesdays and Wednesday each week starting in mid-July. For more information visit http://web.mac.com/paulolopes1/Site/Home.html or call 604-938-0932.

 

Meetings galore

 

If you have an interest in finding out more about what’s been going on at Whistler’s library and museum over the past year, you have a few dates to circle on your calendar.

Friends of the Library and the Whistler Museum and Archives Society will hold their annual general meetings on Wednesday, June 25 and Tuesday, June 24, respectively. The library meeting will be held in the community room at the Whistler Public Library at 4 p.m., while the museum meeting will be held at the museum at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

 

Appointing public arts

 

Two artists in the Sea to Sky region have big projects to tackle.

The Resort Municipality of Whistler and the Public Art Committee have just announced that Patrick Sullivan of Squamish and Mike Tyler of Pemberton have been selected to complete the next public art projects.

After an open, juried competition, the commissions, which are each valued at $30,000 and funded through the Village Enhancement initiative, were awarded to the artists.

Sullivan will be completing the Bridgeheads project, creating four stone sculptures to cap the stone pilasters of the Ted Nebbeling pedestrian bridge spanning Village Gate Boulevard. The works will continue the theme of his last commissioned sculpture, “Last Love,” which is on the Valley Trail by Lake Placid Road. The new project, entitled “Last Love #2, 3, 4 and 5,” is expected to be complete by this fall.

Tyler’s proposed life-sized, cold cast bronze sculpture of a mother bear with cub, entitled, “Bear Affection,” has been selected as the 2008 Village Square Sculpture project. Tyler’s proposed project was found to be an engaging concept, offering climbable art for children and providing a unique photo opportunity for all visitors. Tyler was also recently commissioned to create the Whistler Public Library’s donor wall. It will be installed in Village Square this fall as part of the rotating Village Square Sculpture Collection, and will eventually be moved to the sculpture garden along Village Gate Boulevard.

The RMOW and Public Art Committee are accepting proposals for the 2008 Neighbourhood Valley Trail Public Art project until June 30. For more information, visit the business section www.whistler.ca .