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Olympic-sized festival in February

Art exhibitions, film screenings, and literary and performing arts events next month

What: Celebration 2010

Where: Around Whistler

When: Feb. 3-27

Whistler artists, filmmakers, musicians, photographers and writers come together to build on one of the three Olympic pillars – the arts – with Celebration 2010 packing in a cultural feast of 17 events with 150 participating artists Feb. 3-27 throughout the Sea to Sky corridor.

The province-wide festival was originally created to generate excitement and awareness for the 2010 Winter Olympic bid when International Olympic Committee members visited Whistler and Vancouver in 2003. Whistler was the only community to carry on with the arts extravaganza tradition every year, readying itself for the VANOC-led, four-year arts festival leading up to the Games, which begins next year.

"At the end of the day, (Whistler) will have much more of a presence with the Olympic Arts Festival than if we hadn’t done Celebration 2010," said Doti Niedermayer, executive director of the Whistler Arts Council.

"We have positioned ourselves, so when (VANOC) is thinking of arts for next year, we get called and involved."

Not only do the lead up festivals ensure local talent will be incorporated into Game festivities, but Celebration 2010 helps build cultural capacity in Whistler, getting organizations involved, organized and working together.

Celebration 2010 continues to grow with the addition of Lower Mainland talent last year and a movement towards a broader Canadian reach for this year and years to come.

"We recognize it is a global arts and culture exchange that we want to promote," Niedermayer said.

Classic Celebration 2010 events to look out for this year include the return of the Out of Bounds: Tales from the Backcountry photographic exhibit and competition Feb. 1-28 at MY Millennium Place. An opening reception with guest speaker Hugo Harrison and music from DJ Mister Fister takes place Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. at MY Place.

The competition features glimpses into B.C.’s beautiful backcountry sports by both professional and amateur photographers. The public votes for Best of Show with a chance to win a heli-skiing trip.

New photographers featured this year include Jonas Hoke, Ted Nodwell, Andrew Bradley and Miroslaw Kuras, along with veteran photographers Bruce Rowles, Dagan Beach, Richard Duncan, Blake Jorgenson, Paul Cordy, John Hewson, Bonny Makarewicz, Don Cole Harvey and Dave Humphreys.

The Cultural Cabaret is the highlight of the festival with all artistic mediums showcased on one stage for one night Sunday, Feb. 12 at MY Millennium Place. The regional showcase includes a night of music, dance, theatre and comedy. Buy your tickets early. This event always sells out.

The Whistler Museum & Archives carries on with its five-part documentary series Community Now Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at MY Millennium Place. Last year’s self-produced featurette film looked at Whistler through senior residents’ eyes. This year, the film shares the stories and perceptions of Whistler youth. For free tickets call 604-932-2019.

The Best of the Whistler Film Festival carries on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at MY Millennium Place. The evening includes festival winners Exiles in Lotus Land (Best New Canadian Feature Film), Off Road to Athens (Best Mountain Culture Film) and three winners of the Whistler Stories film contest First to Go Down by local filmmaker Rebecca Wood Barrett, Sandra Goes to Whistler by Tracy Smith of Vancouver and High in the Mountains by local filmmaker Feet Banks. Tickets are $10. Call 604-935-8410.

MY Millennium Place hosts two special performances including Cuban music from D’Talle Feb. 14 and roots music from Gregory Hoskins, former frontman for The Stickpeople, Feb. 22. Tickets are $20/$18. Call 604-935-8410.

The infamous Literary Leanings public reading nights presented by the Whistler Writers Group, a.k.a. the Vicious Circle, returns Feb. 19-20 at Joey Chan’s. The two evenings include local and guest authors. Highlights for this year include readings by Lisa Moore from St. John’s, Newfoundland, who was a finalist for the 2002 Giller Prize for her national best seller Open, and Patrick Lane, whose poetry, short stories and criticism have won numerous awards, including a Governor General’s Award.

New this year, the festival includes a snow sculpting competition Feb. 22-24 outside the Roundhouse on Whistler Mountain. The competition features the Canadian Snow Sculpture Team along with local artists Mark MacLaurin and Greg Mutch.

For the first time, the Squamish and Lil’wat nations will share their culture at the festival Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Four Seasons Resort. Details are still being worked out.

Other events outside of Whistler include, award-winning author Maria Coffey sharing her tales of Brilliance Beyond: The Transformative Powers of Tragedy Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. and A Cat in a Kayak, a children’s story, Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. at the Squamish Public Library. Coffey also presents a multi-media show called Sacred Water: By Kayak Down the Ganges Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Pemberton Community Centre, and Vietnam: Adventures off the Beaten Track Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. at MY Millennium Place.

The Sea to Sky Hockey Challenge, Telluride Mountain Film Fest on tour, Snowboard Super Night Pipe Showdown, artisan market, outdoor concerts, street performers, slide shows and workshops on writing and photography fill in the remaining gaps, with an outdoor screening of the closing ceremonies from the Torino 2006 Olympics Feb. 26 in Village Square.

For more information on any of the events, visit www.whistlerartscouncil.com, www.whistlerartscouncil.com, or call 604-938-9221.