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Susan Point picked for Olympic art legacy project

After weeks of careful consideration, the Resort Municipality of Whistler has finally announced that renowned Coast Salish artist Susan Point has been selected as the successful artist for the community's $190,000 Olympic public art project, which wi

After weeks of careful consideration, the Resort Municipality of Whistler has finally announced that renowned Coast Salish artist Susan Point has been selected as the successful artist for the community's $190,000 Olympic public art project, which will be installed in Whistler Olympic Plaza.

Her concept, entitled "A Timeless Circle," reflects Point's experience with the 2010 Winter Games.

"The Olympic and Paralympic Games were so much more than I thought they would be," she said in a recent release. "The experience has and will always be a source of inspiration for me. Seeing many nations coming together to celebrate was incredibly moving and is the inspiration for this piece."

The bronze sculpture will feature 86 carved faces, representing each of the nations that were present in Whistler during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Five double-sided solid segments will be cast and mounted, creating a circular form that is inspired by the traditional Coast Salish spindle whorl. The completed piece will be installed in Whistler Olympic Plaza between the Olympic Rings and the playground in 2011.

"We are very pleased with the process that led to selection of A Timeless Circle," Kevin McFarland, RMOW Parks Planner, said in the release. "We were very impressed with the thought and creativity the four finalists put into the final stage of the competition process. Moving forward, we are very excited to be working with Susan Point."

Thirty-nine proposals were submitted to the RMOW and a jury selected four finalists to further develop their concepts for a second stage of proposals. While all four submissions brought a truly unique and creative approach to public art in Whistler, after much debate, "it was clear that Susan's concept was most suited to Whistler in evoking the coming together of people for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games," the release read.

The $190,000 art commission is being funded through the Province of B.C.'s Resort Transfer Tax initiative through the Games Office budget, which enables the municipality to invest in resort and tourism amenities.

Point, a member of the Musqueam First Nation, is a world-renowned artist with major installations at the Vancouver International Airport, Vancouver Convention Centre and Christ Church Cathedral, as well as exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, UBC Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver Art Gallery and Canadian Museum of Civilization. She has also had exhibitions throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. In 2006, she was awarded the Order of Canada. She also holds Honourary Doctorates from the University of Victoria, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the Emily Carr University of Art + Design . In 2000, she was named the YMCA Woman of Distinction and bestowed with the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for achievement in Visual Arts.

 

Whistler Reads: The Tiger

 

Bookworms will be coming out of the woodwork this weekend to take part in Whistler Reads' December event: an evening with Governor General-award winning author John Vaillant.

Vaillant is the author of The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival , which he describes as " The Golden Spruce with stripes." In Tiger , Vaillant tells the tale of an injured man-eating tiger who is not just hunting for food, but stalking its prey out of vengeance as a team of conservationists tracks her on foot deep in the Siberian forest. To research the book, Vaillant travelled to the remote southeast of Russia, to a region called Primorye, a territory roughly the size of Washington state located by the Sea of Japan. Here, ecosystems converge and rare plants and animals thrive. It is also the last refuge for an endangered sub-species of Siberian tigers - the Amur tiger - a spectacular killing machine that weighs up to 600 pounds and measures 10 feet from nose to tail.

Whistler Reads will be gathering at the Westin Resort & Spa on Saturday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the book, with Vaillant in attendance. Tickets to the event are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door. For more information, visit www.bookbuffet.com and check under the "Whistler Reads" heading.

 

Squamish named top Sweet Spot by MEC

 

A Squamish resident has emerged victorious from Mountain Equipment Coop's third annual Sweet Spots outdoor video competition. Jamie Bond is the man behind DogLotion.com, a big mountain freeskiing and ski mountaineering web magazine based in Whistler.

"Essentially I've been filming skiing for the last eight years, and tried my best to learn a few things along the way," Bond explained. "Now with technology and filmmakers upping the ante, I've been trying my best to keep up!"

His six-minute film, 24 Hours of Squamish Radness, features Bond and a friend, Ryan Bougie, over a 24-hour period, as they climb Mount Garibaldi, ski down, mountain bike down to the valley, pack raft to the Spit, kiteboard to the Chief, climb the Chief, then hike back to the car - in just one day.

"I have a filmmaker friend who was a finalist a few years back, so that caught my attention. But when I read about the contest premise and its focus on promoting adventure and self-propelled activities, I thought, 'Hell, I could do that! That's what I'm all about.' So the idea was born," Bond explained. "Do as many awesome self-propelled sports as I could in a day, and of course hunt around for someone silly enough to join me on it. My friend Ryan Bougie was a gimme. He came straight from a stag party to our 24 hours of adventure without a minute of sleep.

"I just think it's cool how much fun you can have in a day in B.C., especially in the spring when the days are so long. You can have a full-time job and still pack in a day's worth of adventure before dark, so there's no excuse to sit on your butt, really. So I guess I wanted to show people how much fun you can cram into a day if you try. And let's face it; I kinda wanted to show off Squamish, too.

"That 24 hours of adventure pretty much summed up how kick-ass a place it is. From any point in our adventure that day, we could look up, down or over and see all the other objectives of the day. Mountains, ocean, the Chief, you name it."

Bond found out last week he had won the competition, taking home a $2,000 MEC gift card for his efforts.

"Looks like everyone is getting outdoor gear for Christmas! And of course I'll have to stuff Ryan's stocking for joining in on the adventure."

He's planning on producing weekly ski videos for Doglotion.com, so keep an eye on their website for more of Bond's projects.

"Who knows what we can dream up now, with more gear from MEC. I decided I wanted to win from the get-go though, so I put as much effort in as I could, and was stoked to see it pan out."

 

Fundraising efforts secure $11,500 for WAC

 

It appears that the Whistler Art Council's annual fundraising event was a great success, raising over $11,500 for the community arts organization.

The event, dubbed "Our Whistler: Celebrating Our Stories," was held at Millennium Place in early November and featured a roster of 10 long-time locals - Steve Podborski, Brit and Andree Janyk, Julia Murray, Stephanie Sloan, Rod McLeod, Rick Hume, John Benbow, Grant Cousar, Doug and Sheila Dixon and Chelsey Walker - who revisited their Olympic experiences for the crowd of around 100 community members.

Kristen Robinson kept everyone on track, acting as the Master of Ceremonies, while Chris Quinlan managed the excitement during a live auction. Local musicians Dave Morris and John Bottomley provided entertainment for the evening, while 2009 Emerging Visual Artist Award of Excellence winner, Angela Teng, exhibited her work. The Community Foundation of Whistler also presented Andree Janyk with the Citizen of the Year Award at the event for her significant contributions to the community over the past 35 years.

 

Holiday arts and crafts with WAC

 

Sure, snowball fights, skiing and eggnog all help people get into the holiday spirit, but nothing screams "Christmas" like arts and crafts: mucking about with scissors, construction paper, sparkles and glue to make something beautiful to decorate your home for the season.

The Whistler Arts Council is hosting a few crafting sessions at Millennium Place during the month of December, so people can get their hands dirty without, well, getting your own home dirty!

On two T hursday s , Dec. 9 and 16, WAC is hosting lantern-making work shops . It costs just $3 to drop in and make a lantern that will be included in the Festival of Lights exhibit, which runs from Monday, Dec. 6 to Wednesday, Jan. 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Scotia Creek Gallery. Alternatively, it's  $ 6 to make a lantern to take home.

On the following Fridays, Dec. 10 and 17, they're holding sessions to help people make window and tree decorations. Drop in any time between 9 a.m. and noon on these dates to take part in the crafting fun!

All sessions cost $3 (to cover the cost of supplies) and while all four sessions are being held, there will be holiday films screening by the fireplace.