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Resort Municipality of Whistler announces street art banner, Poet's Pause winners

Brook Allen's theme 'Explore More' will be depicted on village light posts; winning poems to be displayed in Alta Lake Park
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Two out of four of artist Brooke Allen's winning submissions for the latest iteration of Whistler's street art banner competition. Image courtesy of RMOW

Get ready to see some new artwork adorning Whistler Village's light posts this summer.

Artist Brooke Allen's work was chosen by the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) as the winning submission of this year's Street Banner Art Competition for her theme, "Explore More."

Allen's four-banner submission depicts eye wear like sunglasses and goggles, with reflections illustrating some of the most popular activities and places to spend time in Whistler during the spring and summer months.

As the contest winner, she will also be responsible for implementing the designs through consultation with a banner production company.

The new street banners will be installed in May, where they'll remain throughout the spring/summer seasons this year and next, following which they'll be sold to the public. Whistler's street banner art program has been in place for nearly 30 years.

Allen wasn't the only winning artist to be on the receiving end of good news this week: The RMOW also announced the winners of Poet's Pause competition, held in celebration of National Poetry Month, at this week's council meeting.

The announcement included a public reading of the winning poems, Sound Orphans by Sandra Cairns—selected for the theme "Listening"—and Victoria Crompton's poem Together in an Adirondack Universe, selected for the theme "Togetherness."

The two pieces were selected by an anonymous jury from a field of 25 poems submitted by 19 poets.

In addition to earning a prize of $200 each, the two winning poems will be displayed at the Poet's Pause sculpture sites in Alta Lake Park over the upcoming year.

"Sound Orphans will be displayed with the large metal chimes piece Lost in Sound at the north end, and Together in an Adirondack Universe will be displayed alongside the giant Adirondack chairs piece Lakeside Couple at the south end of the park," explained an RMOW release.

Held every year since 2007, the RMOW's Poet's Pause competition invites the public to submit original, unpublished poems for the two above-listed themes.

"The program is part of a public art concept created by the late Joan Baron, an artist who developed the two Alta Lake Park sculpture sites with the intention of inspiring creativity," read the release.

Both the Poet's Pause and street banner art competitions are part of Whistler's Public Art Program, "which supports emerging and established artists in a variety of media through both commissions and periodic calls to artists to submit proposals for specific projects," explained the RMOW.

The program, established in 1996, currently includes a total of 55 public and private art pieces displayed throughout the community.

"Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who submitted poems and artwork for consideration," said Councillor Cathy Jewett, portfolio lead for Arts, Natural History, Traditions and Heritage in the release.

"Culture and art are important components to a healthy community, and we are honoured to continue to support and recognize the creative achievements of our artists and writers through Whistler's public art activities."