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Arts Briefs

TWSSF announces Glen Plake to join Words and Stories storytelling event

By Nicole Fitzgerald

Perhaps the most recognizable skier in the world joins the storytelling lineup for the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival in April.

Glen Plake’s signature mohawk and freestyle skiing feats make the three-time World Hot Dog Ski Champion a historic figure in the world of extreme sports.

His most famous flick appearances include Blizzard of AaaHhh’s, License to Thrill, Natural Born Skier, Fistful of Moguls and most recently, Warren Miller’s Higher Ground .

He might ride new skis, but the snow slider still rips up that old punker attitude, a perfect match for spinning entertaining yarns for the Words and Stories showcase.

Words and Stories stages the most unconventional storytellers and stories in one tantilizing evening of speaking streams, hip hop spins and conscious prose. Anything goes for this 21 st century storytelling night of entertainment.

Along with Plake, other yarns will be spun by Eric Berger and Jack Turner, the forces behind the legendary Photographer’s Showdown; Feet Banks, never one to mince words in his Pique movie column Notes From the Back Row; Lisa Richardson, Slow Food Cycle Sunday founder and Whistler Writers Group fan; and Mitchell Scott , senior correspondent for Powder, Bike, SBC Skier and Explore magazines.

Michel Beaudry, award-winning author, Pique columnist and professional provocateur, will host the evening.

Other TWSSF updates include Tall Paul slated for the DJ Experience and indie darlings Tokyo Police Club join Canada’s largest free outdoor concert lineup on the TWSSF concert mainstage.

Registration for the 72-hour Filmmaker Showdown has already begun. The short film competition challenges filmmakers to produce, shoot and edit a three to five minute short film set within a 100 kilometre radius of Whistler in a time frame of 72 hours. This year registration is $50. The deadline for entry is April 3, but space is limited.

For more information or to preview previous filmmaker showdown film winners, visit www.whistler2007.com .

 

Celebration 2010 wrapping up

There are still a few events to get into the Olympic spirit with, as Celebration 2010 — a celebration of arts and culture in the Sea to Sky corridor designed to showcase Canadian talent — wraps up February with more films, activities and exhibitions.

Local leaders and rebels dish out first-hand accounts of how Whistler grew from a powder frontier ruled by ski bums to a world-class resort readying to host the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in the Whistler Museum’s third film presentation of a four-part series called Community Now: The People of Whistler on Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at MY Millennium Place.

The Hairfarmers will rock out a free post-film reception afterwards.

This year’s 35-minute documentary gives the dish on one of the most exciting times of Whistler — when ski bums, not corporate giants, ruled supreme. Community Now then follows Whistler from its wild child party days to a world class resort readying to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games.

Musicians Guitar Doug and Grateful Greg of The Hairfarmers, Olympian Ross Rebagliati, actor Michele Bush, journalist Leslie Anthony, Whistler Adaptive Ski Program director Chelsea Walker, business owner Colin Pitt-Taylor, and Mayor Ken Melamed are only a few of the participants sharing their reflections on Whistler’s coming of age tale.

Community Now gives an honest, heartfelt and sometimes critical look at Whistler’s evolution from bum to business, celebrating the one thing that hasn’t changed, the strong and vibrant community of Whistler.

Community Now films will be combined into a full-length feature presentation screened at the 2010 Games.

Admission is free.

What is usually dismissed as something as simple as sliding down, building a snowman from or shoveling the nuisance from driveways sculpts itself into Van Gogh proportions as The Canadian Snow Sculpture Team and Frozen Moments tackles piles of snow to create a snowy outdoor art gallery Thursday, Feb. 22 to Friday, Feb. 23 outside of the Roundhouse Lodge on Whistler Mountain.

The Canadian Snow Sculpture Team has competed all over the world in Japan, Korea, USA, Italy, France and Belgium. The troupe was also awarded the Jury Prize and People’s Choice Award at the International Association of Snow and Ice Sculpture competition held at the Torino 2006 Winter Olympic Games.

The Frozen Moments artist team is also no stranger to worldwide snow and ice competitions. In addition to competing in ice carving, two team members also compete in wood, stone and bronze.

Along with arts, Celebration 2010 honours sports as well. Learn about the different sports of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games at a daily changeover of sport demos, equipment displays, activities and special guests at the 2010 Info Centre.

Slide into the wide world of alpine skiing Thursday, Feb. 22, snowboarding Feb. 23, freestyle Feb. 24, bobsleigh Feb. 25, biathlon Feb. 26, Nordic Feb. 27 and skeleton Feb. 28.

There is still time to enter to win a heli-ski trip and vote for Whistler’s coolest photographer in the Out of Bounds: Tales from the Backcountry photo exhibition showing until Feb. 28 at MY Millennium Place.

Both emerging and professional photographers take to the wall with backcountry images showcasing Sea to Sky mountains in all their no-lift-line glory.

Vote for Best of Show and get entered to win a heli-ski trip. Admission is free.

For more information on Celebration 2010 events, visit whistlerartscouncil.com.

 

Kids art chosen for banners

Four Pemberton and Whistler students will see their artwork take to the streets as winners of the 2007 Pontiac GMC Canadian Alpine Championships lamp post banner design competition.

Their artwork will be displayed on banners throughout Whistler Village during next month’s international ski race event.

More than 50 children Grades 5 to 12 designed banners based on ski racing for the competition.

A jury made up of Whistler Arts Council, race committee and Alpine Canada members selected four designs. This year’s winners were Keesun MacPherson of Spring Creek Elementary School, Kyle Williams of Myrtle Philip Community School, and Benjamin Grouix and Rachel Barratt of Pemberton Secondary School.

Honourable mentions were also given to Bobby Bunbury, Haley Frederick, Michael Williams, Roselyn Dallimore, Taylor Aiton and Conrad James — whose hilarious design of a skier crashing into a race flag tickled judges’ funny bones.

The Whistler Arts Council-led project will be installed March 4.