Vancouver, BC— In celebration of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, up-and-coming Canadian musicians, dancers and actors involved in the Cultural Olympiad are hitting the road with a national touring program featuring over 40 shows in cities large and small.

For the second time in two years, the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad, presented by Bell, is stretching beyond British Columbia to communities across Canada to connect the entire country in the culture, spirit and excitement of Canada’s Games. The performances in some locations start on January 19 and carry on into March during the Paralympic Winter Games.

Performers and artistic companies involved in the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad National Presentation and Touring Programinclude: The Alberta Ballet and its presentation of Joni Mitchell’s The Fiddle and The Drum, Quebec-based Compagnie Marie Chouinard and Cirque Éloize, as well as musical performances by Nova Scotia’s Jenn Grant, Saskatchewan’s Jason Plumb & the Willing, Yukon’s Spring Breakup, and Alberta’s John Wort Hannam. For tour dates and information on how to purchase tickets see below or visit www.vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiad.

“We want all Canadians to feel they can share in the cultural celebrations surrounding the 2010 Winter Games in their own hometowns,” said Burke Taylor, vice president of culture and celebrations for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).

“For our second and final Cultural Olympiad National Presentation and Touring Program, we’ve worked closely with our corporate, government and artistic partners to create an exciting lineup of Canadian projects that include ballet, theatre, up-and-coming musicians, and even puppetry. We invite everyone to come out when they stop in your area and enjoy a taste of the cultural excitement of the Games.”

The performers will travel widely and visit the country from coast to coast to coast, with stops, ranging from Victoria, BC, Medicine Hat, AB, Wolfville, NS, to Yellowknife, NWT, supported by their home provinces and territories (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon) together with the Government of Canada and Canada Council for the Arts.

The tours will coincide with hundreds of free and ticketed performances and exhibitions that make up the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad festival, which kicks off January 22, 2010 in Metro Vancouver and British Columbia’s Sea to Sky corridor. The festival features almost 200 incredibly diverse projects by artists from across Canada and around the world in music, theatre, visual arts, dance, and digital programming projects. Tickets and information are available at www.vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiad.

The Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad National Presentation and Touring Program acts are:

Where the Blood Mixes — Playhouse Theatre Company

Emerging Canadian playwright Kevin Loring goes beneath the surface of the Aboriginal residential school system and celebrates its survivors. Visiting Victoria, BC, (January 19 to 24, 26 to 31, February 2 to 7, 9 to 14, and 16 to 21), followed by Winnipeg, MB, (March 11 to 14, 16 to 20) and Ottawa, ON, (March 23 to 27, March 30 to April 3).

Nevermore —Catalyst Theatre

Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, the great master of the macabre, this whimsical, chilling musical fairytale by Edmonton’s Catalyst Theatre reveals the psychology of a man whose haunting writings continue to resonate. Playing in Edmonton, AB, from February 12 to 21.

The Erotic Anguish of Don Juan —The Old Trout Puppet Workshop
The ghost of the infamous Spanish seducer Don Juan comes back from hell to harangue the audience in the name of cosmic love. Is he a sinner or a saint? With puppets! Visiting Vernon, BC, (February 20), followed by Whitehorse, YT, (March 24 to 26) and Edmonton, AB, (March 30 to April 4, April 6 to 11 and 13 to 18).

Joni Mitchell’s The Fiddle and The Drum —Alberta Ballet

This extended, full-length collaboration production of the dazzling ballet features four additional Joni Mitchell songs, illuminated by her latest artwork and the choreography of Alberta Ballet’s artistic director Jean Grand Maître. Visiting Vernon (January 19), Victoria (January 27 to 28) and Nanaimo (January 30) in British Columbia.

Compagnie Marie Chouinard —World Premiere

This newly-commissioned group piece by Canada’s reigning queen of contemporary dance is based on the notion of time recaptured. For the first time, Marie Chouinard will create an accompanying vocal score. Visiting Victoria, BC, on March 16.

Rain —Cirque Éloize

Montreal’s Cirque Éloize brings the wonder of childhood to vivid life in this amazing circus arts performance. The company expresses its innovative nature by combining circus arts with music, dance and theatre. Visiting New Brunswick (Saint John and Fredericton) on February 23 and 25; Charlottetown, PEI, on February 27; Medicine Hat, AB, on March 5 to 7; Edmonton, AB, on March 10 to 11; as well as Vernon, BC, on March 14.

Drumheller

Toronto’s Drumheller defines the inside and outside of that city’s contemporary jazz scene. This five-piece often sounds twice its size. Drummer Nick Fraser and bassist Rob Clutton supply a nearly old-fashioned chromatic swing that permits alto saxophonist Brodie West, trombonist Doug Tielli, and guitarist Eric Chenaux to chase unpredictable squiggles and swirls. Visiting Toronto (ON) on February 6; Regina, SK, on February 19; Brandon, MB, on February 24; Winnipeg, MB, on  February 25; Edmonton, AB, on February 26; and Calgary, AB, on February 27.

Spring Breakup andJohn Wort Hannam

Spring Breakup is a new band with very old souls. It is the lovely but unlikely marriage of Yukon singer-songwriter Kim Barlow and Mathias Kom, singer and songwriter for the Ontario folk orchestra The Burning Hell. John Wort Hannam, the winner of three grand prizes at the 2009 Calgary Folk Festival songwriting contest, delivers roots music straight from Alberta’s southern prairies. Visiting Yellowknife, NWT, on January 26; Winnipeg, MB, on February 10; Regina, SK, on February 11; Medicine Hat, SK, on February 12; Saskatoon, SK, on February 13; and Whitehorse, YT, on February 14.

Jenn Grant and Jason Plumb & the Willing

Jenn Grant writes and performs complex folk-pop with hints of jazz and swing. Her 2009 album Echoes earned three East Coast Music Awards nominations. Jason Plumb was one of the driving forces behind `90s alternative band The Waltons and has been crafting signature solo albums and soundtracks for over 20 years. He will be backed by The Willing. Visiting Wolfville, NS, on January 28; St. John’s, NL, on January 29; Charlottetown, PEI, on January 30; Fredericton, NB, on January 31; Québec, QC, on February 3; Wakefield, ON, on February 4; Sudbury, ON, on February 6; Winnipeg, MB, on February 9; Regina, SK, on February 10; Saskatoon, SK, on February 11; Edmonton, AB, on February 13; and Calgary, AB), on February 14.

About the Cultural Olympiad
The Cultural Olympiad, presented by Bell, is a series of multidisciplinary festivals and digital programs showcasing the best in Canadian and international arts and popular culture. Launched in 2008, the program culminates in the 60-day Cultural Olympiad 2010 (January 22 to March 21, 2010), which begins before and continues throughout the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. CODE is the Cultural Olympiad’s digital edition, a series of programs developed to creatively engage national and global audiences through the use of digital technology.

Partnerships

About Bell
Bell is Canada’s largest communications company, providing consumers and business with solutions to all their communications needs, including Bell Mobility wireless, high-speed Bell Internet, Bell TV direct-to-home satellite television, Bell Home phone local and long distance, and IP-broadband and information and communications technology (ICT) services. Bell is proud to be a Premier National Partner and the Exclusive Telecommunications Partner to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). For information on Bell’s products and services, please visit www.bell.ca. For corporate information on BCE, please visit www.bce.ca.

CanadaCouncil for the Arts

The Canada Council for the Arts is a federal Crown corporation created by an Act of Parliament in 1957. The role of the Council is to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. To fulfill this mandate, the Council offers a broad range of grants and services to professional Canadian artists and arts organizations in dance, integrated arts, media arts, music, theatre, visual arts, and writing and publishing. It also promotes public awareness of the arts through its communications, research and arts promotion activities. Visit www.canadacouncil.ca for more information.

Government
The Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad is grateful for the support of the Government of Canada and the governments of all of Canada’s provinces and territories and their respective cultural agencies: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon. In addition to the Cultural Olympiad’s government and corporate partners, CODE is proudly supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the National Film Board of Canada. New Media BC and Wavefront Innovation Society are also both active participants in the project. The National Presentation and Touring Program is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010.

A broken bottle of maple syrup in luggage arriving from Canada; the elegant, dramatic strokes of Chinese calligraphy; the romantic Old World sails of a junk gliding past the hulking steel of a modern ocean-going vessel.

These seemingly disparate visuals are magically weaved together by Québécois theatre visionary Robert Lepage in his latest stage offering The Blue Dragon/Le Dragon Bleu to illustrate the ongoing cultural clash between East and West and the dramatic changes in the lives of three people — two French-Canadian, one Chinese — thrust together in the rapidly changing world of modern-day Shanghai.

The play, performed in both French and English, is among the first 20 visual art, dance, theatrical, circus, and musical projects announced this month as part of the third and final edition of the Cultural Olympiad festivals, presented by Bell.

The Canadian and international projects, which include an extended version of Joni Mitchell’s ballet The Fiddle and The Drum, a massive hand-painted mural on a downtown Vancouver landmark by Taipei-based artist Michael Lin and a rare live performance of a monumental Mahler masterpiece by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, will start on January 22, 2010 and run throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, concluding on March 21. The extensive program will include more than 600 ticketed and free performances and exhibitions in 50 venues in Metro Vancouver and British Columbia’s Sea to Sky corridor. Tickets are available now.

The Blue Dragon/Le Dragon Bleu, presented in partnership with the Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts, is the long-awaited sequel to Lepage’s epic series The Dragons’ Trilogy, which toured the world to critical acclaim for its rich story, use of multimedia elements and innovative stagecraft.

All those elements are present once again along with the themes of cultural heritage and identity as Lepage picks up the story of Quebec expat artist Pierre Lamontagne, the trilogy’s main character, who is middle-aged, unhappy and running an art gallery in China. He’s involved in an unstable relationship with a much younger woman named Xiao Ling, who’s wrestling with a potentially life-altering choice. At the same time, Pierre must also deal with the sudden arrival of an old lover from back home named Claire Forêt. Claire, a Montreal ad executive, is in China to tap into its booming economy and find new meaning in her life by adopting a baby.

Film clips, an innovative two-tiered stage and a snow storm add to the dazzling visual feast Lepage has concocted in The Blue Dragon/Le Dragon Bleu, which was co-commissioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

The struggle with cultural identity and alienation is also poignantly explored in several other projects showcased by Cultural Olympiad 2010, including Where the Blood Mixes, written by emerging Canadian playwright Kevin Loring. The Playhouse Theatre Company production digs into the long buried and painful past of the Aboriginal residential school system and celebrates its survivors who struggled to cling to their culture, language and families in the face of staggering abuse and racism at church-run, government-funded schools.

Alienation is also a prominent theme in Globe Theatre’s production of Elephant Wake, a story of two Saskatchewan towns: a defunct francophone village and a neighbouring prosperous English township. Writer and performer Joey Tremblay shows the impact of the dying village through the eyes of a man angry about his own marginalized existence as he fights to keep his family and Prairie town relevant in a sea of sameness.

For months, Karleen Gill has had May 6 circled on her calendar. She plans to buy Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games tickets the instant they become available.

“I’ve been telling people the tickets go on sale in early May but I don’t tell them it’s May 6 because I want to get mine first!” laughed Gill, a sports fan and a Vancouver 2010 pre-Games volunteer from Richmond, BC.

Family Affordability

Because the Paralympic tickets are so affordable, Gill says she’ll buy 20 ice sledge hockey tickets so her 11-year-old son, James, and his hockey teammates can catch the action live. She also hopes to snap up some tickets to the Whistler alpine skiing and Nordic events.

Gill — herself a recreational hockey player — and her son became hooked on watching ice sledge hockey last year when Paralympic School Day (an education and participation program) came to James’s elementary school. Canadian ice sledge hockey player Todd Nicholson attended the school sessions and explained the basics of Paralympic winter sports to the kids.

Then in February, the Gills were among the hundreds of fans in the stands at the University of British Columbia’s Thunderbird Arena to watch the 2009 Hockey Canada Cup of ice sledge hockey. Canada wound up winning in a thrilling game, narrowly beating the United States 2–1 in a shootout. Following a preliminary game, Nicholson handed James a puck, which now sits in a special case in his bedroom as a reminder that his week was made.

“If you like hockey you’ll like (ice) sledge hockey,” Gill said. “The intensity is what I have seen out of professional NHL games. It’s a sport I’ve followed a little bit and I’m not quite sure how to put this, but it feels like pure sport. You don’t have professionals involved . . . they’re amateurs and they’re making a really big sacrifice to do this.”

Spectator Experience

Spectators at the sporting events of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will be treated to all the cowbell chiming, flag waving and colour commentary we’ve come to expect at major international sporting events like the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For instance, at ice sledge hockey, a massive screen hanging above centre ice will keep spectators entertained with highlight reels of the previous day’s events. The Gills may even spot themselves on the big screen if the arena’s roving host stops by to chat with them. And if you haven’t been to a Paralympic Games before, you’ll get an eyeful of bizarre and colourful costumes both at the event and at the Victory Ceremonies.

Spectator fun is part of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. As part of each event, a series of specially produced sport videos to be shown at all venues during the Games. By taking in the whole Paralympic Winter Games experience, spectators may come away with a new perspective on human strength and a better understanding of what a person can accomplish when fuelled by a dream.

The Cultural Olympiad’s digital edition (CODE) is a suite of programs best described by three words: Connect. Create. Collaborate. CODE creatively engages national and global audiences through digital technology. It’s a first for Canada and a first for an Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With the launch of the first project, Canada CODE, on May 4, Canadians everywhere were invited to submit images or words about their daily lives to contribute to a virtual scrapbook that reflects the stuff we Canadians are made of. Canada CODE tells the story of Canadian culture to the world. It brings the Cultural Olympiad to a whole new level and to Canadians through a whole new medium. The end result will be collaborative, remixed works of art that will be featured on jumbo public screens during the 2010 Winter Games.

Canada CODE will reach into all corners of the country, to people of any age, culture or language. Anyone with access to the internet and a desire to connect, can create or simply explore Canada CODE via vancouver2010.com/code. The site is accessible, inclusive and bilingual.

“CODE is about who we are. It’s the things we do every day. It’s the words we use to describe our selves and our communities,” explained Burke Taylor, VANOC vice-president, culture and celebrations. “The Canada CODE will reach into all parts of the country to truly make these Canada’s Games through the power of Canadians’ imagination and the Internet.”

Bridging the Vast Canadian Landscape

“Canadians are always looking for ways to reach across the huge land mass we inhabit to connect with each other,” said Rae Hull, director of CODE and originator of Canada CODE. “Historically, we’ve had the telephone and the train; today, we are one of the most wired nations in the world. The networked nature of the web is an ideal way to illustrate both the incredible diversity that exists in Canada and the way we knit it all together.”

Contributions to Canada CODE

Submissions will be moderated and uploaded within 48 hours. The contributor’s user name, as well as their location, will be tagged to their creative work and can be seen whenever a visitor to the site clicks on their submission. Canada CODE is the first of several CODE projects to be launched — others will be announced in the coming months.

Bell has been instrumental in facilitating the involvement of leading industry partners and BC-based companies in CODE. As the exclusive Telecommunications Partner to the 2010 Winter Games, Bell is helping to connect all Canadians to Canada CODE. Canada CODE is also connecting with Canadians through the assistance of the National Film Board of Canada, a major collaborator on the project through its network of studios and partner associations.

To kick-start the bilingual online art project this spring, a number of Canadian writers such as 2008 Giller Prize winner Joseph Boyden of Willowdale, Ontario, Vancouver’s Evelyn Lau and Montreal’s Nicole Brossard, have added their voices and vision to inspire others about their daily lives and neighbourhoods. A total of 49 Canadian writers helped launch the site, thanks to support from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Flash forward to January of 2010: Where will your interests take you? Cultural Olympiad 2010, presented by Bell, offers excitement for each of those fast-approaching days and nights.

The festival has just announced 35 additional projects for the arts and culture extravaganza, which begins January 22, 2010 and continues throughout the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, until March 21. The new events join the 20 others unveiled earlier this year, with a final batch to be announced in September.

By the time the festival is complete, Cultural Olympiad 2010 will feature more than 600 performances and exhibitions across British Columbia’s Sea to Sky corridor and Metro Vancouver.

To help fill up your cultural calendar, here are four experiences inspired by Cultural Olympiad programming. For schedules, venues and ticket details check the online event listings.

Text a Friend

A grand festival is all about forming partnerships. Consider The National Ballet of Canada and Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB), which will take the stage together for the first time in 20 years at the Cultural Olympiad’s Dance Canada Dance gala. RWB artistic director Andre Lewis helms one of North America’s most versatile and accomplished companies and artistic director Karen Kain will bring the full National Ballet to BC for its first visit since 2007: This will be an evening worth sharing, an opportunity to form new bonds watching old friends reconnect.

Meet New People

There is no one quite like Anthony Braxton. He is a virtuosic musician, a sophisticated composer and a mind-bending philosopher all rolled into one irrepressible package. His Sonic Genome Project, a world premiere performance, gives free rein to the audience to wander in and out and around as 60 instrumentalists, among them local students, express the human condition in an all-day musical meet-up.

Partie de danse

Get ready for some French fusion. The Lost Fingers, an acoustic trio out of Quebec City, wrap the gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt around ‘80s pop hits: Pump Up the Jam and Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean will never be the same. The Juno-nominated band has a new album out, Rendez-vous Rose, and will bring its infectiously fun live show to Cultural Olympiad 2010.

Rediscover a Magical Place

It is difficult to imagine a better setting than the Museum of Anthropology for an exhibition called Boundary and Translation. The refurbished and expanded landmark overlooks the border between land and water on the University of British Columbia campus and has documented and displayed human cultures for decades. Among the dozen creators reinventing this iconic space will be Tania Mouraud, a Parisian artist whose work is often inspired by the exhibition site. In 2010, at the Museum of Anthropology, she and her peers will have plenty to work with.

These seemingly disparate visuals are magically weaved together by Québécois theatre visionary Robert Lepage in his latest stage offering The Blue Dragon/Le Dragon Bleu to illustrate the ongoing cultural clash between East and West and the dramatic changes in the lives of three people — two French-Canadian, one Chinese — thrust together in the rapidly changing world of modern-day Shanghai.

The play, performed in both French and English, is among the first 20 visual art, dance, theatrical, circus, and musical projects announced this month as part of the third and final edition of the Cultural Olympiad festivals, presented by Bell.

The Canadian and international projects, which include an extended version of Joni Mitchell’s ballet The Fiddle and The Drum, a massive hand-painted mural on a downtown Vancouver landmark by Taipei-based artist Michael Lin and a rare live performance of a monumental Mahler masterpiece by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, will start on January 22, 2010 and run throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, concluding on March 21. The extensive program will include more than 600 ticketed and free performances and exhibitions in 50 venues in Metro Vancouver and British Columbia’s Sea to Sky corridor. Tickets are available now.

The Blue Dragon/Le Dragon Bleu, presented in partnership with the Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts, is the long-awaited sequel to Lepage’s epic series The Dragons’ Trilogy, which toured the world to critical acclaim for its rich story, use of multimedia elements and innovative stagecraft.

All those elements are present once again along with the themes of cultural heritage and identity as Lepage picks up the story of Quebec expat artist Pierre Lamontagne, the trilogy’s main character, who is middle-aged, unhappy and running an art gallery in China. He’s involved in an unstable relationship with a much younger woman named Xiao Ling, who’s wrestling with a potentially life-altering choice. At the same time, Pierre must also deal with the sudden arrival of an old lover from back home named Claire Forêt. Claire, a Montreal ad executive, is in China to tap into its booming economy and find new meaning in her life by adopting a baby.

Film clips, an innovative two-tiered stage and a snow storm add to the dazzling visual feast Lepage has concocted in The Blue Dragon/Le Dragon Bleu, which was co-commissioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

The struggle with cultural identity and alienation is also poignantly explored in several other projects showcased by Cultural Olympiad 2010, including Where the Blood Mixes, written by emerging Canadian playwright Kevin Loring. The Playhouse Theatre Company production digs into the long buried and painful past of the Aboriginal residential school system and celebrates its survivors who struggled to cling to their culture, language and families in the face of staggering abuse and racism at church-run, government-funded schools.

Alienation is also a prominent theme in Globe Theatre’s production of Elephant Wake, a story of two Saskatchewan towns: a defunct francophone village and a neighbouring prosperous English township. Writer and performer Joey Tremblay shows the impact of the dying village through the eyes of a man angry about his own marginalized existence as he fights to keep his family and Prairie town relevant in a sea of sameness.

The names of the respected and emerging Aboriginal artists taking part in the program were announced today by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) in partnership with the Four Host First Nations.

First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists participating in the program are from every province and territory in Canada and include Brendalynn Trennert of Hay River, NWT; Alan Syliboy of Millbrook, NS; Stephen Peltonen of Hearst, ON; Brent Sparrow and Kevin McKenzie of Vancouver, BC; and Jason Baerg of Toronto, ON. A complete list of participants is available at www.vancouver2010.com.

“These works of art by some of Canada’s most established and up-and-comingAboriginal artists will be front and centre in our 15 Olympic and Paralympic venues and will remain there as a permanent legacy of the Games beyond 2010,” said Dan Doyle, VANOC’s executive vice president responsible for Aboriginal participation. “In some cases, these beautiful artworks are seamlessly integrated into the structure of the venue itself.”

The variety of artwork is staggering. Textiles, copper, steel, concrete, yellow cedar, glass and caribou tufting are among the mediums used and the subject matter features Aboriginal symbols, such as the raven, bear, salmon, sun and canoe in traditional and contemporary styles.

In addition to leaving a physical legacy of artwork, the program is helping create an educational and cultural legacy by pairing established artists with several at-risk young people in urban and rural areas from across Canada to create three original sculptures for showcasing in 2010.

“Mentors, such as Haida artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, are opening up a new world of opportunity for inner-city Aboriginal youth,” said Tewanee Joseph, chief executive officer of the Four Host First Nations. “This type of programming allows us to celebrate the strength and innovation of our youth.”

More than 140 individual pieces of original artwork will be produced as part of the more than $2-million Venues’ Aboriginal Art Program, with over 40 becoming part of the Games permanent legacy at the venues. Sixteen Four Host First Nations works will have pride of place in areas such as entrances and gateways at venues like Pacific Coliseum and the Olympic and Paralympic Villages in Whistler and Vancouver. This means the first thing visitors will see as they enter is a welcoming work by a hosting Aboriginal artist. This program is part of VANOC’s venue construction budget.

“This program offers an unprecedented opportunity to create a once-in-a-lifetime contemporary collection of art from First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples for all the world to marvel at and enjoy during Canada’s Games in 2010,” said Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians. “Through these more than 90 sculptors, tufters, weavers and painters, we’re celebrating the rich cultural diversity of our country and honouring Aboriginal peoples across Canada.”

“Canada is experiencing a renaissance in Aboriginal art from First Nations, Inuit and Métis and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will showcase this incredible talent to the world,” said BC Premier Gordon Campbell. “Their works will inspire everyone — from the world’s best athletes to visitors alike — as they act as a permanent cultural and artistic legacy of the Games.”

The Aboriginal works of art displayed in the venues will also be featured in O Siyam:Celebrating Aboriginal Art through the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, published by John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd. The full-colour coffee-table book will be available in stores this fall.

For images of selected artworks from Aboriginal artists participating in the Vancouver 2010 Venues’ Aboriginal Art Program, visit www.vancouver2010.com.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Please visit www.vancouver2010.com for more information.

About the Four Host First Nations Society
The Four Host First Nations Society is a not-for-profit organization that has been established to coordinate the participation in the 2010 Winter Games by the Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. To learn more about the Four Host First Nations Society, visit www.fourhostfirstnations.com.

With the support of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), the exhibition will feature artworks by master and emerging First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists from every region in Canada.

Aboriginal Art at Venues

The pieces on display as part of the exhibition will be displayed at venues during the 2010 Winter Games in February and March as part of a larger celebration of Aboriginal culture.

“The striking new works created by Aboriginal artists across Canada for the 2010 Winter Games through the Vancouver 2010 Venues’ Aboriginal Art Program are being taken a step further with this exhibit and auction,” said Tewanee Joseph, Chief Executive Officer of the Four Host First Nations.

“Our goal is twofold: to increase public understanding of the diverse works being created by First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and to raise funds for our young people so they can follow their dreams, which may include becoming successful Aboriginal artists themselves. We hope this develops into an annual event.”

A Permanent Legacy

There are close to 140 individual pieces of original artwork produced for the Vancouver 2010 Venues’ Aboriginal Art Program at Games venues from Richmond to Whistler. As part of the $3-million program, whose participants were announced by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) in June 2009, over 40 of the artworks will be part of the permanent legacy of the 2010 Winter Games at the venues. Installation of the works started in late 2008 and the majority of the art will be completed this week.

The program was enhanced by artistic and economic development workshops held by INAC. Five showpiece artworks created through these workshops, including a large, colourful tapestry from the Inuit of the Arctic, were purchased by VANOC and are among the permanent venue art installations. The Nuu-chah-nulth Arts Association, Mi’kmaq Association of Cultural Studies, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Manitoba Aboriginal Arts Council Inc. and the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition (Métis 10) participated in the program and the resulting higher profile from their 2010 work is encouraging other cities to consider sister sculptures of their own.

O Siyam

The Aboriginal artworks displayed in the venues will be featured in O Siyam: Aboriginal Art inspired by the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, published by John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd. The full-colour coffee table book will be available in stores on November 2 — the first official Games-related book to be published. Copies of the book can be pre-ordered at the exhibition.

Auction Pieces

Proceeds from an auction, on Friday, October 16, will go towards the Vancouver 2010 Aboriginal Youth Legacy Fund. Artworks up for auction include:

•Paintings by Sammy Kudluk of Nunavik, Quebec and notable Mi’kmaq artist Alan Syliboy of Millbrook, Nova Scotia.
•A woven human figure and traditional Nuu-chah-nulth hat by Delores Bayne of Hesquiaht, British Columbia.
•An intricately carved silver bracelet by Rodney Sayers of Hupacasath, British Columbia.
•Smudge and Smog by Métis photographer Sara Roque of Shebahonaning (Killarney), Ontario.
•A pink resin cast buffalo skull by Kevin McKenzie of Vancouver, British Columbia.
•A 2-D abstract elk by Jason Baerg of Toronto, Ontario.
•Colleen Cutschall’s One Horned Buffalo Curling Rocks sculpture from Brandon, Manitoba.
The exhibition, auction and artwork are made possible through the strong partnership between the Government of Canada, the province of British Columbia, VANOC and the Four Host First Nations.

“We’re proud to support this important initiative to highlight and celebrate the unique talent of Aboriginal artists in Canada,” said the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians. “Our Government is committed to working with our partners to enhance artistic recognition and promote economic opportunities for Canada’s Aboriginal artists.”

Aboriginal Art Auction
When: Friday, October 16 from 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Where: Pan Pacific, Vancouver
For table purchase inquiries for the auction, please e-mail Connie_Watts@vancouver2010.com

Aboriginal Art Exhibition
When: Saturday, October 17 from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, and Sunday, October 18 from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre, Hall A, located at 999 Canada Place, Vancouver
Admission is free