Canadian Body Painting Championships

Nanaimo Wins Bid to Host Canadian Championship Local Team Awarded Bid to Host National Arts Event in Nanaimo Nanaimo, BC August 12th 2008: Local Body Gras organizers Jeff King and Dawn Tyndall have won the bid to host the Canadian Body Painting Championships in Nanaimo this year. Models become the art exhibit September 4th - 7th at Beban Park for some of the most accomplished artists in the world. The internationally recognized event was bid on by hopefuls across Canada. Nanaimo beat out cities such as Calgary and Whistler as a host city. "This is an exciting time to be given world sanctioning, while Nanaimo celebrates being a cultural capital of Canada. We have been building and growing for years to create a cultural destination event for Nanaimo and with sponsors from Vancouver and Victoria joining those in Nanaimo. We are excited about the visitors we will have at this amazing art event," said Dawn Tyndall, Event Co-organizer. Body painting is an art form that draws people from countries all over the world to compete, or see artists use semi clad bodies as their canvas in celebration of creativity and life. Tyndall and fellow Event Co-organizer and artist Jeff King have been laying the ground work over the years to be able to host the event. They contacted the World Body Painting Association in 2007 to discuss hosting the Canadian Championships in Nanaimo. Last November Tyndall and King submitted a proposal. "It has been 7 years to get us to this point where we are putting on a world class event - we've seen some amazing art in the past and with this sanctioning we are drawing artists from Europe, the States and Canada, making for a great mix of talent being showcased," said King. Tyndall traveled to Austria in July to attend the 11th World Body Painting Festival, and was thrilled to further discussions in hosting a North American event with the support of the international body painting community in both Europe and Asia. Upon awarding Nanaimo's Body Gras team with sanctioning World Body Painting Association President Alex Barendregt stated "We are delighted to have Nanaimo BC Canada host one of our world sanctioned events. With the history of the team in Nanaimo we feel confident they will showcase the amazing art form that body painting is." Five different workshops will be taught by the top artists in the world, such as one of Europe's leading Make-up Artists Shaul Maloem from the Make-up Institute in Stockholm Sweden. Workshops range from beginner to advanced. Thursday September 4th guests arrive and artist's workshops are held. Friday there is a welcome party to all artists and models, and is open to the public. The evening event The Monkey's Jungle Masquerade Party will be held Sept 5th at 7pm in the Centennial Building at Beban Park. Local band EPIC will perform live. There will also be a DJ, some artful surprises, and a costume contest. Saturday September 6th is the main competition. The public is welcome from noon to 6pm to come and see the artists at work as they compete against each other, themselves and the clock. There will also be live demos and face painting for kids of all ages. Saturday night all art pieces will be presented to music and the theme of "It's A Jungle Out There" starting at 7pm. The public can vote on their favorite art piece and have their photos taken with the models and artists of their choice. There will be a live band Little Head, fire dancing performances by Willow, a dance troupe from VIBE, art presentations and awards ceremonies. Sunday September 7th is the end of the event with a farewell brunch 10am to 1pm hosted at the Modern Cafe. For more information on tickets, workshops and how to volunteer go to www.bodypaintcanada.com. The Canadian Body Painting Championships is sponsored by great companies such as Apple Auto Glass, ITS Telecom, and Island Vet Hospital along with many more. Body Gras is grateful for the City of Nanaimo, Tourism Nanaimo, and all media support. Some sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are still available, call 250-751-4142 for more information. * * * Primary Contact: Dawn Tyndall Body Gras Phone 250-751-4142 dawntyndall@shaw.ca Secondary Contact: Jeff King Body Gras Phone 250 753-1865 Cell 250-713-1865 jeff@bodygras.com SUGGESTED PICTURE CAPTION: Costumes of paint accompanied by hair and makeup to rival Hollywood at the 11th International Body Painting Festival in Austria. Event organizers expect the same quality of work at the Canadian Championships in Nanaimo September 4-7th.