Late & Unique Nighttime Alternatives (LUNA) is gearing up
for a busy summer, and they’ve decided to start the season off with a night of
live art, fire spinning, music and other entertainment.
Diversity: Artistic Collective
will feature art displays from more than 20 local and Vancouver-based
artists, hand-made mobiles, fire spinning, bands, DJs, and an interactive art
station, to encourage attendees to get their hands a bit dirty.
“You’re going to be surrounded by inspired people, so you can’t
help but want to create it yourself,” explained Kiran Pal-Pross, LUNA
coordinator. “So we have this creation station where people will be able to
dabble in clay making and mask making and painting and things on their own.”
The artists participating in the show are from Germany, Japan,
Mexico, Australia, Iran, and Canada, and they have equally varied styles,
ranging from abstract, to graffiti and expressionist.
Alexei Lopez Villaseca (Mexico), Andrea Mueller
(Canada/Germany), Dili Hafezi (Iran), and Doerte (Germany) are just a few of
the international artists who will be exhibiting alongside popular local
artists at the June 27 show.
Each of the artists is also designing their own mobile, so
people won’t just be looking at the walls, they’ll also have to look overhead
to take in all of the artwork on display.
Diversity: Artistic Collective
will be held on Friday, June 27 starting at 7 p.m. at Spruce Grove
Field House. Tickets are $8.
LUNA’s other summertime events, like the LUNAFLIKS outdoor
films at Lost Lake, kick off in early July.
Arts, culture and money
As part of the ongoing Sea to Sky Economic Impact Study,
community focus groups will be held in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton in the
coming weeks.
To date, over 250 artists, community stakeholders and arts
organizations have participated in a survey to help assess the size and impact
of the local cultural sector. The next step is to present the preliminary
findings to focus groups, generate feedback and discuss future steps.
“Results of this study will help us to understand the magnitude
and diversity of the region’s cultural assets,” said Anne Popma, project
coordinator. “Those of us who are actively engaged in the arts have a sense
that there’s a lot going on, with great potential for the future. But until
now, we haven’t had the data to convince others that the arts are a significant
part of the regional economy.”
Through the study, Popma and other organizers have discovered
that 34 regional arts organizations have combined annual operating budgets of
almost $8 million, employ 77 full-time and 70 part-time workers, and over 900
volunteers. Within the past five years, these organizations have also made
almost $27 million in capital investments.
The focus groups will be held in Squamish on Thursday, June 26
from 9 a.m. until noon at Capilano College, in Whistler on Thursday, June 26,
from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Spruce Grove Field House, and in Pemberton on
Friday, June 27 from 9 a.m. until noon at the SLRD boardroom.
Participants must register for the focus groups at
www.seatoskycorridor.ca
or by phoning 1-866-680-3926. If you are interested in participating in the
survey, you can still do so until Friday, June 20, by visiting the website
above, or phoning and requesting an interview.
B.C. celebrates 150 years
B.C. is celebrating its 150
th
anniversary this year,
and amidst the festivities and events being held to commemorate the milestone,
the provincial government commissioned Harbour Publishing to produce a book
that captures the beauty and diversity of the province.
British Columbia: Spirit of the People
is a glossy coffee-table book, rich with imagery
spanning decades from throughout the province, including many pictures by local
photographers, like Bonny Makarewicz, Toshi Kawano and Randy Lincks.
The text was researched and written by respected local
historian, Jean Barman. Barman has worked with the B.C. Heritage Trust,
Canadian Historical Association and the Vancouver Museum Revitalization
Project, and was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2002 for
her writing and research on the history of Western Canada.
In addition to the commemorative book, the Squamish and
Whistler Arts Councils have received a total of $13,000 in funding from the
BC150 Community Arts Grants to support the Sea to Sky Stories and Whistler
Children’s Art Festivals.
“The Sea to Sky corridor always does a brilliant job of
showcasing our regional artistic talent,” said Joan McIntyre, MLA for West Vancouver
– Garibaldi. “These festivals are especially important because they bring
the community together and engage youth in the arts.”
The BC150 Community Arts Grants provide up to $10,000 and up to
75 per cent of the cost of a variety of projects, including the visual arts,
dance, musical and theatre productions, as well as publications.
Artsy alternative
As summer approaches, parents begin the mad scramble to find
activities to occupy their kids during the summer months. While there are
plenty of outdoor sports camps in Whistler, why not let them stimulate the
right side of their brain for a change?
This summer, Cary Campbell Lopes will again be offering art
camps geared towards kids from age six to 14, encouraging kids to explore their
creative side through art activities.
The camps will also offer a bit of outdoor recreation, with
activities like nature walks and tennis. They will also be working on art
projects, like nature-inspired canvas paintings, on a deck in the sunshine.
The camps are $120 and will be held on Tuesdays and Wednesday each week starting in mid-July. For more information visit http://web.mac.com/paulolopes1/Site/Home.html or call 604-938-0932.
Meetings galore
If you have an interest in finding out more about what’s been
going on at Whistler’s library and museum over the past year, you have a few
dates to circle on your calendar.
Friends of the Library and the Whistler Museum and Archives
Society will hold their annual general meetings on Wednesday, June 25 and
Tuesday, June 24, respectively. The library meeting will be held in the
community room at the Whistler Public Library at 4 p.m., while the museum
meeting will be held at the museum at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Appointing public arts
Two artists in the Sea to Sky region have big projects to
tackle.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler and the Public Art
Committee have just announced that Patrick Sullivan of Squamish and Mike Tyler
of Pemberton have been selected to complete the next public art projects.
After an open, juried competition, the commissions, which are
each valued at $30,000 and funded through the Village Enhancement initiative,
were awarded to the artists.
Sullivan will be completing the Bridgeheads project, creating
four stone sculptures to cap the stone pilasters of the Ted Nebbeling
pedestrian bridge spanning Village Gate Boulevard. The works will continue the
theme of his last commissioned sculpture, “Last Love,” which is on the Valley
Trail by Lake Placid Road. The new project, entitled “Last Love #2, 3, 4 and
5,” is expected to be complete by this fall.
Tyler’s proposed life-sized, cold cast bronze sculpture of a
mother bear with cub, entitled, “Bear Affection,” has been selected as the 2008
Village Square Sculpture project. Tyler’s proposed project was found to be an
engaging concept, offering climbable art for children and providing a unique
photo opportunity for all visitors. Tyler was also recently commissioned to
create the Whistler Public Library’s donor wall. It will be installed in
Village Square this fall as part of the rotating Village Square Sculpture
Collection, and will eventually be moved to the sculpture garden along Village
Gate Boulevard.
The RMOW and Public Art Committee are accepting proposals for the 2008 Neighbourhood Valley Trail Public Art project until June 30. For more information, visit the business section www.whistler.ca .