By Nicole Fitzgerald
Prior, a Whistler ski and snowboard company, has supported local artists by commissioning them to design top sheets for its one of a kind rides since the company moved to Whistler in 2000.
The company, headed by Chris Prior, decided to do something different this year to celebrate not only artists but also the Whistler arts community as a whole.
The crew of Prior, Dean Thompson and Theresa Clinton handpicked three established local artists to design the 2008 topsheet lineup and decided to host a launch party with a live artist exhibit, prizes and proceeds benefiting the Whistler Arts Council (WAC), a non-profit organization that champions arts in the Sea to Sky area.
“It’s a great cause and we want to promote local artists as well,” Prior said.
The Prior 2008 Topsheet Launch Party takes place Wednesday, April 18 at Maxx Fish during the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival. Those attending the Pro Photographer Showdown earlier in the evening at the Telus Conference Centre can make their way over to the local village hangout that hosts monthly art shows in a make-shift-gallery space.
Art revelers can check out the artwork of Sea to Sky talents Vanessa Stark, Chili Thom and Oliver Roy, who will be in attendance and also painting live. The three will exhibit their topsheet creations inspired by the backcountry of the Coast Mountains, the changing of seasons and a snowboarder’s summer infatuation with surfing.
Raffle proceeds will benefit WAC. The first prize is a pair of custom Prior skis or a snowboard. Second prize is a Prior package of hoodie, T-shirt and cap. Third prize is two Performance Series passes for six shows at MY Millennium Place.
Raffle tickets are $5 each or three for $10. The winner does not have to be present at Maxx Fish on the night of the draw. Tickets are on sale now at Prior, WAC, Canski (village), Affinity (Clock Tower) and Showcase.
Proceeds will help fund WAC summer programming such as ArtWalk, the Whistler Children’s Art Festival and Whistler Art Workshops on the Lake.
DJ Mixmaster Fab, a.k.a. Paul Fournier, will be on deck to keep the dance floor hopping all night. Doors open at 9 p.m.
Telluride films screened for green cause
Get immersed in an evening of mountain adventure and culture without ever leaving your seat at the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival on Wednesday, April 11 at MY Millennium Place.
The fundraiser for the Whistler Blackcomb Environmental Fund will screen eight films covering the globe from climbing in Yosemite to tribes in New Guinea.
Defect by Dan Heaton challenges perceptions by introducing riders who demonstrate the latest innovations in mountain, trail and street unicycling.
First Ascent: The Obscurist by Peter Mortimer follows two partners who climb the most outrageous roof cracks they can find in Yosemite.
New World Disorder 6 – Unchained by Derek Westerlund showcases freeriders challenging locales in Whistler, Bolivia, Utah and Baja.
Paving Shangri-La by Andrew Stevenson documents his journey of walking 100 miles in the middle of winter through the Himalayas to record a way of life that will soon fade into history.
The Good Fight by Mark Fraser and James Fox records the life of environment crusader Martin Litton, now 90, who was instrumental in saving the Grand Canyon during the 1950s and who currently campaigns to save the last remaining giant sequoias in California.
Zoltan by Eric Crowe, Brendan Kiernan and Frank Pickell follows one man’s journey to bring respect to a sport he loves.
Pururambo by Pavol Barabas enters the labyrinth of dark swamps in New Guinea where people live high in trees in primitive conditions that have changed little since the Stone Age.
Good Riddance! Termites: Attack of the Killer Achidna by Nick Hilligoss explores with Eco, the clean green pest controller, how to rid a nest of termites that is literally eating him out of house and home.
The Raynier Foundation is sponsoring the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation Environmental Fund event. The fund is supported by donations from Whistler-Blackcomb employees that are then matched by the foundation. To date, more than $197,000 has been raised for 27 local projects.
To thank members and local supporters, Whistler-Blackcomb will host a reception with appetizers from Ciao-Thyme Bistro, a local restaurant specializing in organically inspired cuisine.
The reception begins at 6 p.m. with the show starting at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for general public and $5 for foundation members.
Tickets are available by contacting ticketmaster.ca or MY Millennium Place at 604-935-8410.
Film follows serial killer in East Van
The next Reel Alternatives series film Unnatural Accidental screens Wednesday, April 11 at 7 and 9 p.m. at Village 8 Cinemas.
Award-winning actor Carmen Moore plays a young aboriginal woman searching for her mother in the downtown east side. The search leads to another search when she begins investigating native women who are being stalked by a serial killer.
The Reel Alternatives series is presented by the Whistler Film Festival and Village 8 Cinemas to promote Canadian and international independent films.
Tickets are $6.50 for Reel members and $8.50 for non-members.
Handbell choir rings in Mozart
The California Sylvan Choir and Tintinnabulists Handbell Choir ring in musical greats in Sylvan Bells and Songsters on Saturday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Fairmont Chateau.
The Sylvan Choir and bell ringers have performed all over the world. Highlights include the Basillica San Marco in Venice, St. Peter’s Kirche in Austria, and the Wieskirche in Germany. The troupe has toured B.C. five times over the past 16 years, concluding each tour with a concert at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.
This trip the Sylvan group will share the music of Mozart, Biebl, Clausen Dobrinsky and McChesney. Familiar songs will work their way into the music menagerie, including highlights from The Music Man and festive bell songs such as Sleighride and Adagio in G from the Glass Harmonica.
The concert will be held in the Empress Ballroom. Admission is free.
Whistler Stories grant deadline extended
The deadline for Whistler Film Festival’s Whistler Stories filmmaking grants is extended to April 13.
“We are looking for films that tell the story of this magical place — its spirit, its inhabitants and what it is that draws people here,” said Bill Evans, festival programmer. “Anyone who has spent time in the Whistler area knows that the place is full of great stories.”
The Whistler Stories program funds four short film projects a year leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Films, based on stories from the Sea to Sky corridor, must focus on Olympic themes of culture, education and/or sport.
Films can be documentary, fictional or animated and must demonstrate a creative approach to the subject matter.
Each filmmaking team will be awarded a $5,000 grant to produce a five-minute short film.
Films will premier at the Whistler Film Festival in December. All Whistler Story films will culminate in a feature presentation at the Games.
For submission guidelines, visit whistlerfilmfestival.com.
