Without the patronage of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo’s famous
Sistine Chapel ceiling would have only existed in the Italian painter’s
imagination.
Art demands creativity, but it also requires financing to produce.
The Whistler Arts Council honours this special relationship by
recognizing a leader in business and arts at the 4th Annual Whistler Business
and the Arts Award.
“The sheer amount of community support for arts, culture and
heritage in Whistler is awesome, which is why we designed the award in the
first place,” said Doti Niedermayer, executive director of the Whistler Arts
Council.
The award recognizes a local business or business leader for their
significant impact and contribution to Whistler’s arts community.
The support for arts and culture in Whistler is outstanding. The
Whistler Children’s Art Festival is one example of an event that heavily relies
on community support. Last year’s in-kind donations amounted to $17,000 to
produce the weekend celebration.
“And this is just one two-day event,” Niedermayer pointed out.
“There’s the Performance Series, ARTrageous, ARTWalk, the Whistler Film
Festival, MY Place, the museum, the children’s chorus and the writers’
festival. You are looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars of community
support from small businesses. It’s a lot harder for small businesses to give
that amount compared to large corporations. Small businesses in Whistler
believe in arts, culture and heritage. We applaud them.”
The organization or individual will have supported the arts
through sponsorship, volunteerism, professional services or products, marketing
or public relations donations, or business leadership that demonstrated support
for the arts above and beyond the basic commercial benefits.
Past award recipients include Whistler Real Estate, Whiski Jack
Resorts and Rocky Mountain Productions. So far, two businesses have been
nominated for this year’s honour, including Nesters Market and The Grocery
Store.
Peter Legge, president and CEO of Canada Wide Media, will speak at
the luncheon about leadership, positive communication and success in business
and personal growth. Canada Wide Media is the largest independently owned
publishing company in Western Canada publishing more than 40 magazines,
including TV Week and B.C. Business, that result in more than $25 million in
annual sales.
Legge lives and understands the importance of the business-arts
relationship. He has been a co-host on the Variety Club Telethon for the past
29 years and assisted in raising more than $135 million for the charitable
cause. He has been awarded the Golden Heart, the Order of the Red Cross and
Citizen of the Year for his commitment to the community. The Speakers’ Hall of
Fame member was also inducted into the Sales Hall of Fame, along with greats
such as Jimmy Pattison, Garfield Weston and Brian Tracy.
Now it is Whistler’s turn to show support for an individual or
company who has so generously supported the arts community. Join the
celebrations at the awards luncheon hosted Wednesday, Jan. 17 between 11:45
a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Four Seasons Resort.
To reserve a space, call the Whistler Chamber of Commerce at 604-932-5922.