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Two gold awards for Audain Art Museum construction

Arts news: Arts Whistler Culture Crawl, BC Museums Association annual conference opens
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Standout project Construction contractors involved in the building of the Audain Art Museum brought home four awards at the Vancouver Regional Construction Association's Awards of Excellence gala. File photo

The builders who took part in the construction of the Audain Art Museum took home four awards — two silver, two gold — at the 28th annual Vancouver Regional Construction Association's (VRCA) Awards of Excellence gala.

Pocklington Building Systems Limited won the 2016 Awards of Excellence Gold winner in the President's Trade Award $1 million to $3 million category.

Alpine West Systems Electrical was awarded the Awards of Excellence Gold in the Electrical Contractors Award Up to $2 million category.

Judges' comments stated there was a lot of redesign to achieve the "no exposed electrical" feature needed to best show art exhibitions. This meant access to a hidden corridor behind walls and dealing with a challenging schedule.

European Touch Hardwood Floors Inc. won 2016 Awards of Excellence Silver Award in the Chairman's Trade Award up to $1 million category.

Axiom Builders won the 2016 Awards of Excellence Silver Award in the General Contractors Award $15 million to $45 million category.

The Audain was called a "standout project" at the ceremony. Twenty-three awards were handed out overall.

The building was designed by Patkau Architects of Vancouver and opened in March 2016.

Culture Crawl for studio tours takes off

Arts Whistler is taking its next steps in promoting the resort's artists very literally.

Culture Crawl Studio Tours helps art fans with self-guided tours to artists' studios and to some of Whistler's more out-of-the-way art venues.

Eight artists and venues have been selected. The artists' studios on the tour include jewelry designer Borgi Rayen, painter Isobel MacLaurin, Sarah Sladen and Vincent and Cheryl Massey.

Venues include Station House, The Point Artist-Run Centre, and Art Junction Gallery.

The Culture Crawl takes place on Saturday, Oct. 22.

Arts Whistler's Culture Map can be found at www.artswhistler.com/explore.

BC Museums Association conference opens

Around 150 artists, curators and other museum and gallery professionals are in Whistler for the BC Museums Association annual conference until Oct. 14.

The association's executive director Erica Mattson said many talks and events are open to the public with registration. Space is limited.

Plenaries and workshops on Thursday, Oct. 13 include Conserving the Salish Sea: Coast Salish Cultural Awareness and Sustainability, Exhibitions 101, Embracing the Family — a keynote luncheon with Jack Lohman of the Royal BC Museum, Strategies for Small Museums, and a digital museums panel.

On Friday, Oct. 14, events include Museums and Canada's First Nations — A Moral and Legal Obligation, Digital Design and Digital Curation, Outreach Kits, and Establishing an Archive.

The keynote address for the conference is by Elaine Heuman Gurian, advisor and consultant. She is talking about Intentional Civility, changing the rules of civil behaviour to be more inclusive with the public.

For more information, visit www.museumsassn.bc.ca.