Yes, Art on the Lake (AOTL) is coming back. No, it won't look like it did in previous summers.
When it returns July 10, AOTL is moving from its old home on Alta Lake to a new location at Lost Lake. Operational logistics played a key role in this change.
Arts Whistler has a team of just 11 people to run the event nowadays (compared to 18 when AOTL first began five years ago). As the undertaking grew popular, more safety measures, specialized gear and staff hours became necessary—a trend deemed unsustainable.
"It's a wonderful way to be able to celebrate our visual artists, but it's a huge amount of setup," remarks Arts Whistler executive director Maureen Douglas. "We create a festival with a certain amount of infrastructure. We're putting tents over all the docks, setting up tents in the park, bringing in our own stage and PA and everything … [to do so at Alta Lake] is really challenging, because we also need to work across the lake quite a bit. There's an affordability factor that's changed as well, which means we can't necessarily just turn around and hire 10 people to be casual labour for those two days."
Many arts organizations, including Arts Whistler, have needed to recalibrate around shrinking annual budgets in the wake of COVID-19. Yet costs have trended in the opposite direction, with Douglas figuring the price of renting equipment like stages, tents and generators has risen by 20 to 25 per cent compared to pre-pandemic numbers. On top of that, performers must also be paid fair wages.
These factors can't be overlooked despite help from local sponsors like Gibbons, TD and Sushi Village, but Lost Lake mitigates some of the impact.
"There's two sides to the park with a bank of trees in between, and one side of that has been equipped for years as a dedicated special event site—which means it has excellent electrical resources so we don't need generators," Douglas explains. "The way the land is fixed, it's easier for production and gives us space to have the artisans all with us on site. The access points to load gear we do need to bring in become much easier just because of the way the park is situated.
"We're also able to get people out on the water and have entertainment on the water, but manage that within a slightly smaller geography. We make sure people are there under their own steam—and they have to be taking care of their own safety—but we definitely want to do our best to have oversight on that."
A question of accessibility
Not everyone is happy with the change of location. For example, Pique received a letter in June from former Whistlerite Dawn Minett who questioned the accessibility of Lost Lake given its lack of parking.
Douglas acknowledges these concerns, but reports that others have actually expressed support for the move to Lost Lake.
"There isn't that much parking at Alta Lake either, and we some years had real challenges getting our artists in and out," she says. "We had a lot of people tell us they would have to put in their canoe, kayak or whatever from fairly far down—even Rainbow Park—and that is a long paddle down to the south end of Alta Lake. For the folks who've been concerned about access [to Lost Lake], we've had just as many say: 'this is going to be so much easier for me.'"
To make this year's AOTL more accessible, the Resort Municipality of Whistler's (RMOW) free Lost Lake shuttle will run every 10 minutes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on event days from its pickup point beside Olympic Plaza. A secured zone for people to drop off their watercraft ahead of time is also being made available.
Once you get there, Lost Lake arguably provides a more user-friendly paddling experience.
"The winds can change on Alta and really change the experience for people on the water. Sometimes it's not such a good surprise, but Lost Lake doesn't get the same winds," Douglas points out. "The water stays pretty gentle. You can have a fabulous Art on the Lake experience out there literally in an inflatable flamingo. There's lots of people who have felt they can't go to Art on the Lake because they didn't have a kayak or a canoe or a stand-up paddleboard. At Lost Lake, you need less equipment to be safely out on the water."
AotL runs on July 10 from noon to 6 p.m. and July 11 between noon and 5 p.m. More details, including a complete artist lineup and FAQs regarding how to navigate the revamped event can be found at artswhistler.com/artonthelake.
