Vancouver Olympics to license, sell, native art

(Image used for illustrative purposes)

From The Globe & Mail:

MARSHA LEDERMAN
Vancouver -- The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic Games will announce details tomorrow of a nationwide search for aboriginal artists to create works to be licensed and sold by VANOC. The artists will work with the committee's design team to develop artworks that will be "in line" with VANOC's brand while being truly representative of aboriginal people "and of the highest quality," according to Tewanee Joseph, executive director of the Four Host First Nations Society.

"To see something like this happen is unbelievable to me," Joseph said yesterday. "It's very exciting, obviously."

A portion of the profits will go toward programs for aboriginal youth in art, culture and sport. Artists will be compensated for their work.

Sales of the artworks created specifically for the 2010 Games will begin as early as this spring.