Imagine being ushered past a stunning
cedar carving of the Squamish Nation’s sun into the new Whistler Sliding
Centre. Well, imagine no more — it looks like this type of traditional
artwork is going to play a significant role in the 2010 Games.
On Monday morning, the Vancouver
Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games announced
the completion of the first new indoor competition venue — UBC’s
Thunderbird Arena — ahead of schedule. During the announcement at the
arena, which was attended by Premier Gordon Campbell, VANOC also formally
launched the Vancouver 2010 Venues’ Aboriginal Art Program, which will see Aboriginal
artwork integrated into all 15 Olympic and Paralympic venues.
Dan Doyle, executive vice president of construction for VANOC,
said it was always the plan to include Aboriginal artwork into the venues.
“It’s something that we had in mind all along, and what we
wanted to ensure was that our budget would allow that to happen,” Doyle said.
“…We’ve been driving to ensure that all our venues are constructed within our
budget and it’s very evident now that’s going to happen, so that we’re able to
do something that we’ve always wanted to do, which is incorporate aboriginal
art.”
Back in May, VANOC’s board of directors approved the transfer
of $2 million from the venue construction central contingency account to the
general venue construction account to support the new program.
A common misconception is that a contingency fund is just for
emergencies, but Doyle said that isn’t the case — contingencies are
actually built into the overall budget.
“We’ve always held what I call a healthy contingency for all
eventualities that would occur during construction, and as it turns out, we
didn’t have to use it all for construction-related activities and so we always
had a back up plan to put in the aboriginal art, because its very important to
us,” he explained.
Doyle recruited Connie Watts, a B.C.-based mixed media artist of
Nuu-chah-nulth, Gitxsan and Kwakwaka'wakw ancestry, to manage the new program.
Watts studied Fine Arts at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and
Design and Interior Design at the University of Manitoba. Her artwork has been
shown across North America, and she is continuously working on commissioned
work for various corporate and private collectors, with the largest
installation being the Thunderbird sculpture, Hetux, at the Vancouver
International Airport.
“I really wanted to have somebody on our team who really
understood the cultural aspects of art and who could ensure that when we’re
talking about an Aboriginal art program, that we delivered the very best,”
Doyle said.
Though she admits that her new job will be a huge undertaking,
Watts points out that she will have the help of an “incredible” team. And as an
artist and member of the First Nations community, she is very pleased to be a
part of the program.
“I think that we can finally feel that history is being
recorded and that it is being identified through the presence of the artwork
and the aboriginal peoples are able to voice their own history through this
artwork,” she said.
Each of the venues will feature unique, cross-disciplined
pieces, which may include a traditional welcoming piece from the four host
First Nations groups. Collectively, the pieces will showcase the diversity of
Canadian Aboriginal artwork.
During the 2006 Torino Games, the B.C.-Canada House featured
two doors carved by Squamish artist Aaron Nelson-Moody. Now, it’s looking like
those same doors could be used in Robson Square during the 2010 Games.
The new program will also help First Nations artists gain
additional knowledge and training through support to emerging artists and youth
mentorship opportunities.
“All of these different programs work towards permanent
artworks in the venues that will leave a lasting legacy for the post-Olympic
period,” said Watts.
So far, Watts has been hearing a lot of interest from artists
across Canada.
“Because I’m tied into the community anyway, the response and
the support for this program is massive, and the artists are just thrilled that
they’re being recognized and honoured, not only along the west coast, but
across Canada,” she said.
VANOC recently issued an initial Expression of Interest,
seeking artists from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines who are
interested in the program.
Based on the strong reaction, Watts hopes they see some strong
applications come in by the deadline of Aug. 15.
The applications then go through an adjudication process, and
successful applicants will be asked to complete a Request for Proposal focused
on site-specific artwork for the venues.
Special considerations, like theft prevention and the use of
weather resistant materials, will be made for the artwork on display at the
outdoor venues.
While Doyle and Watts couldn’t say when the installation of artwork at each venue would begin, Doyle said he would like to see them all in place by the fall of 2009.
