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Squamish artists frustrated by lack of festival support

The second annual LIVE at Squamish was a success by almost all accounts, but some Squamish artists felt they had been given the cold shoulder.

Stan Matwychuk, co-founder of Squamish's Homebase Studios, says festival organizers at Vancouver-based brand.LIVE passed on local representation in favour of artists from the city. As result, there was virtually no one representing Squamish at the festival.

"I thought that it was funny that they put on this event, they paid us to be there last year, and then here I am praising it in the newspaper and then they're like, 'The game has changed this year,'" Matwychuk says.

He had planned to build a performance painting stage so any artists in attendance at the festival could paint, but the plans fell through.

Matwychuk says he found out only one day before the festival that there would be no local representation. He sent out an email that day to festival organizers at brand.LIVE and various Squamish stakeholders, expressing his dismay over their decision to not include any Squamish artists.

In response, Gregory Hegger, brand.LIVE's director of communication and partnership, wrote that they were unable to fund more artist activation.

"The festival has a great deal of costs and I assure you we are far from turning a profit," said Hegger.

"Throughout the planning stages, we welcomed Stan to invite a sponsor to fund the area. I personally took the time to try and find one as well. Ultimately, nothing bit," he wrote.

Matwychuk says that he had sponsors lined up, including Lululemon.

"But at the end of the day we didn't need a sponsor to get in there and paint for free anyway," he says.

But even he had to admit that the festival's production value was impressive. It's a sentiment shared almost universally by those in attendance. Media reports have been overwhelmingly positive and festival executive producer Paul Runnals has only heard positive feedback from those in attendance. About 8,900 people showed up on Saturday and around 7,800 on Sunday. While the target was for 10,000 people per day Runnals says it was still a resounding success.

"Success for us is not just measured at the box office. It's measured on the experience and what the take-away was for everybody," he says.

He notes that local support in terms of ticket sales was "a little disappointing" relative to percentage of sales over all.

"Prior to the day of the show, the percentage of sales in the local area was quite low," he says.

The town itself saw an explosion of business throughout the weekend. Nearly all hotels and campgrounds were at capacity. Restaurants and cafes were jammed and the Farmer's Market on Saturday saw a surge in numbers that Elliot Moses, manager of the Squamish Chamber of Commerce, connected to the festival.

"It was incredible," he says, noting that an estimated $1 million or more was brought into the town as result of the festival.

Runnals says that the festival is a definite go-ahead for next year. Brand.LIVE has signed a five-year lease with the District of Squamish, which secures the festival until the end of that term at least. Managers and label representatives were invited to the festival and were impressed with what they saw, which Runnals says will allow the festival to build on the calibre of talent in the coming years.

As far as changes for future installments of the event, Runnals says it's too soon to tell.

"We'll look at little things like our scheduling," he says. "Does our scheduling need tweaking, that kind of stuff. But in terms of anything significant in the overall (production) I can't see it yet. Nothing has presented itself as an obvious where we go, 'Okay, that's not working.'"

 

Jian Ghomeshi cancels Whistler appearance

Sorry ladies, your beloved Jian Ghomeshi won't be making it to Whistler this weekend.

The host of CBC's Q was scheduled to MC Whistler Olympic Plaza's grand opening this Saturday, but has cancelled his appearance to attend NDP leader Jack Layton's funeral in Toronto.

"Jack was a dear friend of mine whom I have known for over 20 years," Ghomeshi writes in a letter to the editor. "Starting from when I was a teen he was an inspiration and someone who supported me and gave me guidance. In much more than just political ways, Jack took me under his wing and I learned a great deal from him."

A class act, this Ghomeshi... his letter can be read in full on page XXX.

The RMOW is working on securing a new host before Saturday.

Whistler Library turns 25

It's been a long road, Whistler, but the library has made it. It's 25 years young and still going strong... er, well sort of. It is still closed on Sundays due to budget constraints, and there has been some turmoil between council and the library board to resolve that issue.

But people love the library, right? It has served literally thousands of families and dirt-poor ski-bums needing to cop free Internet, right? And it still functions as a centre for public discourse, right? These are good things. So let's celebrate, for one day this Saturday, the fact that the library still exists and then we can get back to the whining over our lost Sundays on...Sunday.

Anyway, to mark the occasion, the Whistler Public Library is bringing 2011 Juno Award-winning children's entertainer Peter Puffin to town to perform this Saturday at 10 a.m. And can you guess where he's performing? The library! Oh gosh, what a surprise.

Peter Puffin writes inspiring songs about the environment and staying strong in a cruel, cruel world in way that's poignant enough to make adults shut up and listen. He's also funny, so you don't have to worry about standing there with tears streaming down your cheeks thinking, "He's right. I will stand up for what I believe."

Also on the bill are The Small but Mighties, a group of Whistler musicians and storytellers who will perform at 9:30 a.m. At 11 a.m., the library will serve cake.

Happy birthday, Library. We wish you well.

Between Shifts looking for actors

So you want to be an actor, eh? There's no better way to launch your career than by performing in the classic Dickens tale A Christmas Carol , which Squamish's ever-impressive Between Shifts Theatre will produce this fall.

But first we need to see if you're any good. Between Shifts is holding open auditions at the Sea to Sky Hotel this Sunday, Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. and Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m.