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Sea to Sky to Parliament

This Canada Day, Whistler will be missing a few important members of the artistic community. That's because instead of being set up along the village stroll, they'll be in Ottawa, representing Whistler for our nation's birthday.

This Canada Day, Whistler will be missing a few important members of the artistic community. That's because instead of being set up along the village stroll, they'll be in Ottawa, representing Whistler for our nation's birthday.

For the last four years, Ottawa's Canada Day celebrations have included the artistic achievements of the Cultural Capitals of Canada, and as a 2009 Cultural Capital of Canada community, Whistler has been invited to send a group of artists to Ottawa to participate in the celebrations.

"Whistler is proud to have our local talent showcased in Ottawa on Canada Day," John Rae, RMOW Manager of Strategic Alliances, said in a recent press release. "Being designated a Cultural Capital of Canada gives us an opportunity to really create awareness of Whistler's talent and share our artistic expression and creativity with the rest of Canada."

Vanessa Stark and Olivier Roy, a talented team of local painters, are two of the artists who are heading to Ottawa as part of Whistler's Cultural Capital designation. Also selected for the trip was Chili Thom, another well-known painter, and the hip hop duo Animal Nation, taking the main stage to entertain the crowd with their enlightened lyrics and fun style. All of the artists were chosen by a selection committee for their ability to simultaneously showcase the Whistler community, their own art, and engage the public.

"We are all really excited to perform in Ottawa on Canada Day," Garnet Clare of Animal Nation said in the press release. "It's great that Whistler artists are being recognized and getting noticed by the rest of the country." 

Bear behaviour

On the surface, Whistler bears may seem to be simple, furry, four-legged, garbage-munching, walking photos ops. But there's a lot more to these amazing animals than first meets the eye.

Bear biologists have long contended that we need to study bear behaviour to gain a full understanding of these incredible creatures that inhabit our backyards. Now, an internationally-renowned bear behaviorist, Else Poulsen, has joined in the fray with her new book, Smiling Bears: A Zookeeper Explores the Behavior and Emotional Life of Bears, which includes humourous and heartbreaking stories about bears she's worked with over the span of her career.

Poulsen will be at the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre in Whistler to present excerpts from the book from 1:30 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 31. Admission is $10 per person, $20 for a family, and $5 for students.

LUNA finds funding

One of Whistler's great summer activities for locals in the know is lounging at Lost Lake during the twilight hours, sprawled on a blanket, munching popcorn and watching a film under the stars, thanks to the folks at Late and Unique Nighttime Alternatives (LUNA.)

Each summer, LUNA organizes Lunafliks, a popular outdoor film series that takes place at Lost Lake one evening per week, attracting up to 500 people per screening.

This year, the group has received a $2,500 grant from the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation to help cover the cost of film licensing, which means that a larger portion of revenue from the series can go into a new season of events, which will start in November.

The 2009 Lunafliks series will be produced by eight young adults from LUNA's Community Event Coordination program, who will work co-operatively to produce all aspects of the screenings, everything from music and food to film selections.

"Receiving the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation grant means so much to LUNA's Community Event Coordination Trainees and me," Kiran Pal-Pross, LUNA coordinator, said in a recent press release. "It's exciting to have a new community supporter, and a relief not to have to worry about film licensing this year - one of the major expenses of the Lunafliks series."

Speaking of film selections...

LUNA invites B.C. filmmakers between the ages of 18 and 25 to submit their short films for consideration as part of the upcoming Lunafliks series. Films will be selected based on quality and suitability to the theme of the series' feature films and ratings.

DVD submissions should be sent to Kiran Pal-Pross by Friday, June 12. For more information, contact Pal-Pross at 604-935-8372.

Binty at the wheel with Whistler Potters

A favourite mug, simple bowl, or an ornate serving dish: the possibilities for pottery are almost endless. But this weekend, the Whistler Pottery Club is exploring the art of hand-building pieces with the help of a local expert.

The group is holding a special workshop, partially sponsored by a group grant from Whistler Arts Council, with local potter Vincent "Binty" Massey, focusing on hand-building using moulds and extruder.

The hands-on workshop will see aspiring potters create a ceramic platter using Styrofoam moulds that have been carved, sanded, loaded with a textured slab and left to harden. Once leather-hard, all extruded rims, feet and handles are added to the slabs. This process is actually riddled with unexpected technical problems, but all of Binty's secrets will be revealed this weekend.

The workshop, which takes place at the Alta Lake Station House on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31 from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. is already full, but people are welcome to come by and observe anytime after 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.