Musqueam artist Susan Point works on the wooden forms inspired by salmon, cranes and the Fraser River, interpretations of traditional Coast Salish house posts, to be set in 15 concrete buttresses that will drain storm water from the Richmond Oval Olympic venue.

The Vancouver 2010 Olympics has already started a public art program that will eventually result in works by aboriginal artists permanently installed at all 15 Olympic and Paralympic venues.

The Richmond Oval, the site of speed skating, is among the first venues to get aboriginal art under the program.

The work of Musqueam artist Susan Point can be seen on 15 concrete buttresses on the north exterior of the building.

Inspired by salmon, cranes and the Fraser River, the sculptures are 6.1 metres high and 76 centimetres wide. They're part of the building's drainage system that will carry storm water from the roof to Riverside Plaza and then into the Fraser River.

Shaped like big raindrops, the oval salmon and triangles on the buttresses look as fluid as the water that will be flowing in the drainage system once the building is completed. The sculptures are a contemporary interpretation of traditional Coast Salish house posts.

Point is one of B.C.'s best-known first nations artists. Her work is in galleries across North America, including Seattle, Toronto, Ottawa and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. She has completed more than 35 public art installations. Her three welcome gateways were recently added to the totem poles in Stanley Park.

Vanoc's aboriginal arts program is hoping for more applications from first nations artists such as Point. But the program isn't limited to established aboriginal artists from Metro Vancouver.

Connie Watts, program manager, said the program is open to aboriginal artists across the country, including women working in traditional fields such as weaving, youths in mentorship programs and emerging artists.

"We're definitely targeting established artists but we really want an inclusive program to show the diversity of the aboriginal community," she said.

"I want it to be an open and inclusive program. We're encouraging all artists to apply."

Dan Doyle, executive vice-president of construction, said one of Vanoc's founding partnerships is with the Four Host First Nations, part of the 2010 Games since the initial bid stage.

"We wanted to represent their culture and our collective culture in all of the venues," Doyle said.

The idea of including aboriginal art in the sports venues started in Turin in 2006. At the Canada-B.C. pavilion, one of the most popular aboriginal works of art was the carved entrance doors by Squamish artist Aaron Nelson-Moody. The doors will be included in the 2010 B.C. pavilion.

"We had comments like you would not believe from everyone who went through those doors," he said.

Another aboriginal art work has already been installed at the new Thunderbird Arena at the University of B.C. The work in the arena entrance is by Joe Becker from Direction 7, a Musqueam art group. In each venue, there will be welcoming works in the main entrance area from one of the Four Host First Nations, on whose territories the 2010 Games are taking place: Musqueam, Squamish, Lil'wat and Tsleil-Waututh. The works will welcome visitors from around the world to the traditional lands of the first nations people of the region.

In addition to the welcoming works, the program is also looking for more contemporary and traditional art works by first nations, Inuit and Metis. The program's budget is $2 million.

Watts said the goal is to show the diversity of art produced by aboriginal artists from coast to coast to coast.

"I think we're really trying to create a diversity and a snapshot of what Canadian aboriginal people are about," she said.

In the first phase of the project, Vanoc is requiring applicants to submit a request for expressions of interest and statement of qualifications by 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15.

Artists who qualify will then move to the second phase, the request for proposal, which will be reviewed by an adjudication panel. Vanoc expects all the art to be in place by next summer.

According to Vanoc, applications require proof of first nations, Inuit or Metis ancestry and a letter of personal introduction outlining reasons for participating in the program.

Applications will be evaluated on several grounds, including artistic merit and how they embrace the values of Vancouver 2010.

Vanoc chief executive officer John Furlong said aboriginal history, arts and culture are important parts of the country's history.

"This program provides a unique landscape for talented aboriginal artists to participate in the 2010 Winter Games and an opportunity to showcase to the world the rich artistic tapestry of Canada's aboriginal peoples," he said in a news release.

"This will be an extraordinary way of telling our nation's story."