What do art and loggers sports have in common? They are both a part of Squamish culture and will be thriving at Squamish Days Loggers Sports this year.
Artists inspired by the natural forest world and Squamish's logging heritage are invited to submit their creative work to the Squamish Arts Council (SAC) for the upcoming Into The Woods exhibit, showcased for the second year at Squamish Days Loggers Sports.
"We're not just about visual art," said SAC president Krizstina Egyed. "SAC is about arts and culture, and logging is very much a part of the culture and heritage of Squamish.
"We need to maintain authentic connections to our heritage and our landscape and doing that through art is an ideal way to preserve our industrial heritage."
Squamish Days Loggers Sports attracts competitors and visitors from around the world and last year was the first time the event's organizers collaborated with SAC.
"It's about building audiences both ways," Egyed said. "People that normally wouldn't come to an art exhibit but are interested in the loggers' event discover the art and vice versa."
Egyed hopes to incorporate all different art forms - textiles, sculptures, painting and photography - as long as they're wood-related.
"Into the Woods art can be anything wood related," Egyed said, "whether it's wood, the product, or woods, the forest."
This year Into the Woods is accepting photographs of forests from around the world instead of limiting it to local forests, as organizers did last year.
Egyed said she decided Into the Woods needed to accept international photographs after seeing "some local photographers' work from around the world."
"They have such amazing photos that we need to show them off," she said.
The SAC president also hopes to incorporate the work of at least 30 artists into this year's exhibit, which runs from July 28 to the end of October and will be displayed in the SAC building and at the Artisan Gallery.
Interested artists should contact Egyed before Wednesday (July 13) at [email protected] to submit their work.
Egyed said she is excited to see what artists come out of the woodwork this year.
"We are always advocating and trying to promote both our local art and culture," she said.
