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business for lower ad dollars. This year, tin- magazine was able to secure a sponsor for the issue, the North Shore Credit Union (NSCU). and thus maintain the quality of our output. The NSCU is not a newcomer to supporting arts initiatives. It has been involved with the Whistler Centre for Business & the Arts since 1989 and in 1995. under the brand-new president and chief executive officer Jane Milner. initiated a multi-year sponsorship. The Whistler Centre for Business & the Arts is a catalyst for making Whistler a recognized destination for lifelong learning and artistic excellence. Its vision for the arts emphasizes the serious pursuit of art. drawing outstanding performers and faculty to lend their vision and expertise to future growth. The Centre's goal is by the year 2001 to bring 300 young artists from a broad range of artistic disciplines to Whistler every summer to learn in master classes and to perform and exhibit in a vibrant summer teaching program. The students' presence enhances the Whistler experience for a wide range of people who have interests in the arts, including residents of Whistler, second home owners, and visitors. The Young Artists' Experience, a summer music school patterned after the Aspen and Tanglewood Summer Music Festivals, is designed to encourage the developmenl ol talented young musicians in a non-competitive atmosphere. The NSCU is the title sponsor for the Young Artists' Experience-- continuing its commitment to a longterm community partnership in expanding and increasing programs for young artists. "The need for a centre like the one in Whistler can't be overstated." say Milner. "It is important for all communities to have a group dedicated to bringing the best of the artistic world to the community." Bringing visitors to Whistler in the area's low season fits perfectly with the community leader's mandate to make Whistler a year-round hub of activity. If the vehicle for bringing people to Whistler in the non-skiing months is the arts, all the better. The key here is the business community's recognition of the economic and intrinsic value of the arts. This notion is one of the stated goals by the Seattle Arts Commission SAC (considered one of the most progressive arts commissions in the Pacific Northwest). SAC's economic benefit goal for Seattle is to be "a city that acknowledges the significant economic benefit derived from a strong and vital arts community through tourism, employment, small business development, trade, and appeal to businesses considering relocating to the Pacific Northwest." Amen. 32 An example complimentary of the use Vancouver:The Art of Living Well, put out by the Vancouver Board of Trade and Towery Publications, injects fine art into the piece in order impress readers with Vancouver as a city to invest and live in. this is the best book of Vancouver's photography around because of the depth and quality of the photographs and the fine art element they add to the publication. "No other book like this in Canada has Brenda Hemsing's photographs, for instance, because she is an artist....It will be a while before a better book with photographs comes out on Vancouver. It's not cliché or shlocky. Sure it has sunsets, but not that many. And I avoided the sails [the standard Vancouver city shot with the sails of the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre's sails in the foreground]." He also points to the-use of Emily Carr's images and Tiko Kerr's paintings of Vancouver's city scenes to compliment many of the images and says that the publishers say of the 30 city books they have done, this is as close as they have come to having fine art in their publications. Vancouver: The Art of Living Well is a beautiful book and is a prime example of how fine art can push business's image out onto the cutting edge. It is no coincidence that this issue of Arts Alive is focussing on business and the arts. At this time of year it is typically difficult to attract advertisers and in the past Arts Alive has had to lower its page count for the January/February issue to compensate of photographs and fine art that co-exists in Vancouver: The Art of Living Well Left is a painting of Lions Gate bridge by local artist Tiko Kerr, photographed by ]eff Weddell Photography, and right is a photograph of the bridge by Ron Stanivs.