What: Out of Bounds photo exhibition
Where: MY Millennium Place
When: Opening reception Feb. 4, 7 p.m.
Sports and arts unite under the banner of the second annual Out of Bounds: Tales from the Backcountry photography exhibition and competition for the month of February, part of the Celebration 2010 festivities.
The exhibit opens with a public reception Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. at MY Millennium Place Art Gallery.
The photos by pro and amateur photographers alike will showcase sport in B.C.’s beautiful backcountry. The no-ski-lifts-allowed approach results in an intimate glimpse into the rugged wilderness around Whistler and other parts of the province.
"Out of Bounds was created to cross the boundaries between sports and art," said Kelly Clarke of the Whistler Arts Council.
"In Whistler, many photographers focus on sports photography because of the elite athletes who live here and the incredible beauty we live in. This is an opportunity for the Whistler Arts Council to engage that artistic community (the photographers) and create a new event that was of interest to a different demographic living here – skiers, boarders, outdoor enthusiasts."
The event also aims to celebrate published action/sport photographers whose images of powder feats and big air antics have graced the world’s leading sports magazines. The public gets a different look at lens legends such as Eric Berger, Blake Jorgenson, Bruce Rowles and Bonny Makarewicz, who can choose their images without the interference of editors.
Accessed by foot, snowmobile, helicopter, watercraft or dog sled, photographers capture Whistler’s backcountry culture and the public decides on the Best of Show. The public can vote for their favourite photo by filling out a ballot at the gallery between Feb. 1 and 28.
The Whistler Arts Council partnered with Coast Range Heliskiing as the sponsor of the People’s Choice Award, with one member of the voting public and the top photographer winning a heli-skiing trip. Photographers placing second and third will win backcountry clothing from Arc’teryx.
This year’s lineup includes last year’s winner Don Cole Harvey, joined by fellow Lower Mainland resident Miroslaw Kuras and Sea to Sky photographers Bonny Makarewicz, Bruce Rowles, John Hewson, Dagan Beach, Andrew Bradley, Richard Duncan, Jonas Hoke, Blake Jorgenson, Ted Nodwell, Dave Humphreys and Paul Cordy.
"It was the first time we opened a Call for Entry into the Lower Mainland," Clarke said. "The vision for Out of Bounds in the future is to extend the participating photographers to B.C. and eventually Canada."
The event attracts backcountry enthusiasts of all ages.
"Out of Bounds has generated more interest and attracted more viewers than almost any other show since Millennium Place opened four years ago… from youth to seniors, from artists admiring the talent of their peers to adrenaline junkies to couch dreamers," said Dennis Marriott, general manager of Millennium Place.
The opening reception includes photographers in attendance, music from DJ Mister Fister and nibblies from Kristina Katering, Whistler Cooks and Joey Chan’s Chinese Eatery. Admission is free.
For more information, visit
