Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Crystal Gallery pops up and into Whistler Village

Vancouver artists — and one from Whistler — showcase their talents
arts_arts2
Crystal Gallery With the Night' by Lindsay Macmillan is one of the works showing. Photo submitted

A gallery has sprouted beneath Lululemon in Whistler Village... popped up, actually.

Lauren McKimm, director of The Crystal Gallery, which opened on Dec. 7, said the aim was to show an eclectic range of work from west coast artists.

"We are a pop-up-style gallery featuring artists that represent many different forms of art from sculpture to painting to drawing, mixed media, traditional photography and alternative processes photographic collage," she said.

The exhibit runs until early March.

"At this point we are not committed to going any further with the project, that being said if this little project takes off we would love to make Whistler home," McKimm said.

"We want people to come and explore all the different forms art in our space and maybe fall in love of something they never thought they would."

The five artists have placed work in the show within "a lower price point in order to allow any budget to take home work."

Those featured are photographer Dave Mossop, mixed media collage maker Terry Lee, painter Lindsay Macmillan, charcoal and pastel artist Grace Tan, and photographer Erica Chan, who also owns the gallery. Apart from Whistlerite Mossop, who is the founder of Sherpa's Cinema, the artists are from Vancouver and are new to town, at least in terms of showing their work in Whistler.

"I think it's a phenomenal opportunity to bring up some really talented new faces to the Whistler scene," McKimm said.

"If anyone has questions I can elaborate on the artists, on the work, the techniques and back story."

Chan curated the show and said she was aiming for eclectic styles.

"Personally, I really like being able to walk through a space and just be stimulated every step that I take. We were lucky, we had a great group of people that have so much talent and a wide range of abilities," Chan said.

"At the end of summer it all came together. It's not necessarily hard; I'm an artist, too, so I think I've been able to navigate through the processes. The RMOW was really helpful, the local community really supports artists. I felt a little uncomfortable first because we were from Vancouver, but the community has been supportive. It's what you need and it has been really nice."

Chan said that with the construction of the Audain Museum nearby, due to open in 2015, the potential of Whistler as a visual art market in a general sense could expand.

Tan said she has had a home in Whistler for years but has never shown her work here. She has several large-scale charcoal and pastel nude drawings in the show.

"Whistler had never struck me as a place to sell art other than landscapes and mountains. People come here to ski, but they haven't come here to buy serious artwork. That is my question. I guess we will find out," Tan said.

"I single-mindedly like figurative works; I can't speak for other people. Erica has done a great job. It's a beautiful space."