New Sponsor for the 2011 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Awards

The Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Awards Trust is pleased to announce a new sponsor for this year's award exhibition.

Pub Charity has come on board, joining our current sponsors for this year's event.


We would like to thank Pub Charity, Creative Communities Wanganui District, The Lion Foundation, Mickey's Superliquor, and Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios for their support of the 2011 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Awards.


Those artists who are interested in submitting a work, can download an entry form from http://www.24bar7.com

Entry Open for 2011 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Awards

The 2011 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Awards entry form has been released for artists aiming to submit to the competition in September. The exhibition is open to all artists living and working in New Zealand.

The 2011 Entry form is available online from www.24bar7.com and http://media.tripod.lycos.com/1855353/1725408.pdf.

The Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Trust are the conveners of the exhibition. The trustees are pleased with the growing recognition of the event. The Best in Show Award includes a $500 prize. Two Certificates of Merit carry a prize of $100 each.

The competition is designed to create a national platform for visual artists in painting, printmaking, photography, glass production, sculpture and mixed media, and to build relationships between the national arts sector and the Whanganui arts community. The Whanganui National is a competition where New Zealand artists and arts are supported by the art conscious public of this city, and acknowledge the talent of the country’s artists with awards.

Receiving days are September 5 to 7, 2011 at the Wanganui Community Arts Centre .The Awards Presentation will be made at the opening function on September 9, 2011. The the exhibition runs till October 2 at the Wanganui Community Arts Centre, 19 Taupo Quay, Wanganui.

The Trust is grateful for the sponsorships from the Wanganui District Creative Communities NZ, Lion Foundation, Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios, and Mickey’s, in presenting the 2011 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Awards. New sponsors will be announced soon.

2011 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Awards Planning and Preparation Underway

The 2011 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Awards planning and preparation is underway. The organisers are aiming for more artists and viewers than last year. This year the exhibition runs from September 9 to October 2 at the Wanganui Community Arts Centre. Hand-in dates are from September 5 to 7.

In 2010 the Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Trust was compelled by the judges to instigate two Certificates of Merit to complement the Best in Show Award, which the Trust is continuing with. In 2011, not only is there the prize of $500 for the Best in Show Award winner, but now new $100 prizes for each of the two Certificates of Merits winners.

To date, three sponsors have been confirmed for the 2011 event; Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios, The Lion Foundation, and Mickey's Superliquor. The trust thanks these businesses and organisations for their support.

Interest Grows in Whanganui National

Call for entries have been made nationwide for the 2010 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award. The exhibition and prize money of $500 for the Best in Show Award are presented by the Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Trust, with support from Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios, Creative Communities NZ Wanganui District, Powerco Wanganui Trust, Whanganui Community Foundation, and Mickey's as sponsors.

We appreciate their support, for the Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Trust promotes the fine arts in New Zealand. As a leading city in training and nurturing it's artists, Wanganui takes its place as one of the movers and shakers in contemporary New Zealand art annually with this exhibition and award.

Receiving Days for entries into the 2010 Whanganui National Art Exihibtion and Award are fast approaching. Open to all artists residing and working in New Zealand, presenting work from the last 12 months.

Receiving Days
September 13 to 15, 2010,
10.30am to 4.00pm
Wanganui Community Arts Centre,
19 Taupo Quay, Wanganui

Opening Function
September 17, 2010, 5pm

Exhibition Hours
September 18 to October 6, 2010
Monday to Saturday 9am to 4.30pm, Sunday 9am to 1pm

Entry forms can be downloaded from http://www.24bar7.com/

or contact
Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Trust,
PO Box 7318, Wanganui 4541,
email: contact@24bar7.com
mobile: 021 296 4451.

Recent works are encouraged with the criteria of work being made in the last twelve months. By presenting the Best in Show award, decided by a selection panel, the Trust promotes and encourages a career in the arts for the winning artist with this national award.

The exhibition overall is more particularly an important venue for all of the works submitted, being a showcase of New Zealand artists. The annual Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award aims to promote New Zealand artists and New Zealand contemporary arts, and to bring new arts experiences to Wanganui. We look forward to showing an exhibition of New Zealand artists in the city.

Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Gains Two Sponsors

Two sponsors have recently signed on to support the 2010 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award. Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios convened the 2009 exhibition and is pleased to support this year's event. Also funding has been aquired from Wanganui District Council and Creative Communities. The Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Trust thank them for the encouragement and assistance.

The trust is still seeking other sponsors for the event, and any enquiries and intentions for sponsorship from national and local businesses and organisations are appreciated.

Planning for 2010 Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Underway

Planning for 2010 Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Underway

With the encouraging success of the inaugural Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award, planning is now underway for the 2010 event.

Entry registration will be released next year, and will be downloadable from www.24bar7.com.

Sponsors of the national art exhibition and award would be most appreciated and contact can be made with organisers Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios via their website www.24bar7.com and email: contact@24bar7.com.

Optvi101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios would like to acknowledge the following people and organisations for their supporting of the 2009 Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award;

Sofie Beitchef

Myra McIntyre

Trevor Wannell

Joan Rosier-Jones

Albert Sword

Dylan Horrocks

Rowan Gardiner

Wanganui Community Arts Centre

River City Press

Wanganui Chronicle

Hawke’s Bay District Council

Creative NZ

The Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award is presented by Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Copyright © 2009 Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Inaugural Wanganui National Art Award Presented to Local Artist

Inaugural Wanganui National Art Award Presented to Local Artist

The first Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award was launched yesterday at the
Wanganui Community Arts Centre, 19 Taupo Quay, and runs until September 27th.

Twenty works were entered by ten artists from the Wanganui, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington regions. The convener Aaron Potaka, of Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios, is pleased to present New Zealand’s newest art exhibition and award to the city and expects the entries and prize to grow next year.

“This city has a reputation for nurturing and promoting the arts, and with the Wanganui National, now the city has stepped up to take on those responsibilities for contemporary art for all of New Zealand”, Potaka says.

He says that he is honoured to have talented artists exhibiting and being ambassadors for the Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award.

A panel of graphic novelist Dylan Horrocks, printmaker Rowan Gardiner and the convener, Potaka, selected Glory by Esther Topfer of Wanganui, as Best in Show. The panellists were impressed with all works, commenting that they were at the forefront of contemporary art in New Zealand. The decision to select a winner for the award was difficult to make.

The winning work is a silkscreen of paints and mixed media on glass. The work has
sophistication and appeal to it. The work is grounded with dark blues and blacks, and the gold and pink in the figures are very alluring. The production process was innovative and fresh, and materials integrated into the work were delightfully quirky.

The Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award is presented by Optiv101 Fine Arts and
Multimedia Studios.

Copyright © 2009 Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Inaugural Wanganui National is New Exhibition for New Zealand Fine Artists

Inaugural Wanganui National is New Exhibition for New Zealand Fine Artists

The Wanganui National 2009 Amalgamated Tech Art Exhibition and Award has been inaugurated to promote the fine arts in New Zealand, showcased in Wanganui, a city renowned for nurturing and inspiring visual artists.

The exhibition is open to all artists living and working in New Zealand, and offers an array of styles and tastes. Seeded by twelve artists from the Wanganui, Wellington and Hawkes Bay regions, the Wanganui National aims to promote New Zealand artists and the visual arts, and to bring new arts experiences to the city.

Neil Buddle and Esther Topfer are two Wanganui artists seeding the exhibition. Neil Buddle continues to grow and develop his art practice following stints in arts administration. This has meant developing both the commercial and conceptual strands of his work.

His latest work selling in Auckland are prints of New Zealand native trees and how the rich natural resources of our country make our urban environment, intertwining the history of people and land. In addition he is exhibiting in international, national and local exhibitions.

Although currently working primarily as a printmaker, Neil is looking forward to returning to the medium of assemblage for this exhibition. His principal subjects of interest are local politics, landscape, cultural history and erotica.

Esther Topfer is a Diploma of Glass graduate and is completing the last year of her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Wanganui’s Quay School of the Arts. Her exhibition piece is titled Glory, a work of mixed media, paint and screen-printing on glass.

The delicate surface beauty of Esther’s work draws the viewer into a world of eclectism where beliefs of many cultures are magically entwined in a unification of spiritual imagery. By using divergent materials, processes and subjects, Esther is asking the viewer to accept these differences and meld our individual spirituality and beliefs to form a new way of devotion to God, Goddess and Spirit.

The exhibition will have all works for sale and runs during a time of numerous other cultural events in the city, such as the Wanganui Literary Festival and the Wanganui Festival of Glass. A cash award will be given to the artist with the Best in Show as judged by a selection panel.
The exhibition is held at the Wanganui Community Arts Centre. The opening function starts at 5pm on Thursday 17th September and the exhibition shows until Sunday 27th September.

The Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award is presented by Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Copyright © 2009 Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Webster and Cruz Hot Flavours during Wanganui National

Webster and Cruz Hot Flavours during Wanganui National

Hamish Webster and Thomas Cruz are seeding artists of the Wanganui National 2009 Amalgamated Tech Art Exhibition and Award, and will be hot flavours during festival fortnight taking over Wanganui in September.

The exhibition kicks off the celebrations of fine arts and culture in the city at its opening function on Thursday September 17 at 5pm.

Both artists have taken the opportunity to show in other arts and cultural events in the city held during the Wanganui National. Hamish is in the second year of study for a Diploma in Glass Design and Production and as a participant in the Wanganui Festival of Glass he will have works displayed in Visique Goldsbury Optometrists on Victoria Avenue.

Hasmish is an extremely competent hot-glass blower, and training in other disciplines such as painting and sculpture gives him good steed in his colour and design applications, as well as alternative outlets for his creativity. In glass his main works are vases and perfume bottles that are very popular with collectors.

For the Wanganui National he will show a peice titled Chop Bowl, a graal of bright colour and dark accents, cold worked to open up the vessel and allow the viewer to see the interplay of colour and light that is the essence of glass.

Thomas Cruz will have works in a fundraising art sale held at the Wanganui Riverside Market on Saturday September 19. The art sale is raising funds for a Quay School of the Arts student exhibition at the end of the year, and he has several works on offer.

Thomas is a third year student in a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and is undergoing a painting major. He has acquired a distinctive style of high key colours and subjects of animals and people, treated in a way that is invigorating and refreshing.

His bright paintings are complemented by his choice of supports. In a recent body of work the subjects unfold and reveal themselves around and inside furniture chests and cabinets. By allowing us to possess the beauty of his paintings and store them within our private spaces he has induced in the viewer the most personal and intimate connection with the work.

For the Wanganui National he is presenting Earthly Delights, a tiled peice made in pen and watercolour on paper. This demonstrates a distinctive approach to colour and his recent motifs of animals.

The exhibition will have all works for sale and a cash award will be given to the artist with the Best in Show as judged by a selection panel.

The exhibition is held at the Wanganui Community Arts Centre from Thursday 17th September until Sunday 27th September.

The Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award is presented by Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Copyright © 2009 Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Wanganui National 2009 Amalgamated Tech Art Exhibition and Award

Copyright © 2009 Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Deep Profile - Neil Buddle

Neil Buddle – Visual Artist

Despite producing work consistently over the last 10 years, the last 2 years have seen a marked change in my efforts to grow and develop my art practice.

In 2007 I was given the opportunity to take part in the Waitakere Open Studio Weekend (An event I had instigated previously in my role as Community Arts Coordinator for Waitakere City Council). For this event I presented a summary of previous work and a new series of ‘multiple’ paintings entitled, Afterlife. Through this event I sold several works and was fortunate enough to make some new connections. It was partly due to this that I realised that if I was serious about making art and growing as an artist, that from that point I would need to make a concerted effort to develop my practice and importantly, that making art, should pay it’s own way.

Since then, I have produced more work than any other time since art-college. The connections made through the Open Studio Weekend have resulted in the production of 2 sets of kiwiana-inspired prints for gallery shops in Auckland (Pauanesia and The Next Door Gallery). The revenue from these prints has enabled me to not only produce more personal and challenging work, but to enter several established exhibitions as well.

I am currently working on a new set of kiwiana prints for Pauanesia, a major series of prints (Hopefully for a 1st solo/dealer gallery show?) that follow on from a 2005 body of work called ‘Sightline’, in addition to entering the Whanganui National Art Award and the Sarjeant Review Show.

Whilst working pre-eminently in print over the last 2 years, I have retained my passion for Assemblage. This exhibition has given me the opportunity to re-engage with assemblage, under the umbrella of ‘Amalgamated Tech’.

Exhibitions 07-09:

2007

Waitakere Open Studio Weekend – Blink Gallery, Waitakere City, Auckland, New Zealand

The Art of Assemblage (Tribute to Peter Sauerbier) – Corban Estate Arts Centre, Waitakere City, Auckland, New Zealand

2008

Silk Cut Lino Award 2008 (Selected Artist) – Glen Eira City Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

Carey and Smith Review Show 2008 – Sarjeant Gallery, Whanganui, New Zealand

2009

Metonymy 2009 – Aotea Centre, Auckland, New Zealand

Ivan Rebroff is my Security Blanket – Federal Gallery, UCOL, Whanganui

Upcoming Shows

Wanganui National Art Award 2009 – Community Arts Centre, Whanganui, New Zealand

Retail Outlets:

Pauanesia - Queen Street, CBD, Auckland

Next Door Gallery - Hinemoa Street, Birkenhead, Auckland

Internet:

Different Drum – Neil Buddle Personal website

Diglog – DIG Collective Blog

Picasa – Neil Buddle – Web Gallery

Email – digreverend@gmail.com

The Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award is presented by Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Copyright © 2009 Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Entries Open for Wanganui National 2009

Entries Open for Wanganui National 2009

Optiv101 is seeking entries for the Wanganui National 2009 Amalgamated Tech Art Exhibition and Award.

Entry forms can be downloaded in pdf format or word doc.

The exhibition will be opening on Thursday 17th September at the Wanganui Community Arts Centre, and closes Sunday 27th September.

The Amalgamated Tech Art Exhibition and Award is a show of artists from around New Zealand. A $200 award will be given to the artist with the Best in Show as judged by a selection panel.

The exhibition will have all works for sale, and held during the Wanganui Literary Festival [see http://www.writersfest.co.nz/] and the Wanganui Glass Festival [see http://www.wanganuiglass.com/], drawing a large audience to the city.

Optiv101 looks forward to working with artists from around New Zealand and to having a successful exhibition.

The Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award is presented by Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Copyright © 2009 Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Seeded Artists Profiles

Seeded Artists Profiles

Tiffany Hough

Tiffany Hough is from Napier and is a painter, musician and dj. She was commissioned to fit out Hell’s Pizza in Greenmeadows with motifs that matches the wicked and playful image of the company and fits perfectly with her playful and savvy personality.

A very dynamic artist with bold brush strokes and lots of paint.

Pamela Tui-Airini Roy

Pamela Tui-Airini Roy, a graduate of the Quay School of Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree majoring in Photography in 2006, she won the White pages Art Award with her piece ‘The Mountain, The River and I”.

She is currently involved in The Aerosol Project, a graffitti art programme encouraging Wanganui youth to channel their creativity into murals throughout the city.

Esther Topfer

Since graduating from the Quay School of the Arts, Diploma in Glass Design and Production course in 2005, Esther is currently working towards her Fine Arts Degree in Printmaking.

She is exploring innovative ways of combining both media. Her themes are contemporary. Youth culture and feminist thinking are re-occurring themes in her work. She creates a diverse variety of both functional and sculptural works.

Elysabeth Wolter

Elysabeth Wolter is a graduate of the Quay School of Arts with a Diploma in Glass Design and Production Course.

Important features in her work are colour, light, repetition and space, combining these elements to create depth and variation.

She has an interest in holistic thinking and textiles.

Neil Buddle

Neil Buddle is a visual artist, musician and DJ. Originally hailing from the U.K, he has been marooned in New Zealand for the past 10 years . Having worked in Local Goverment Arts-Coordination for 6 years, Neil is now focussing on his own practice. Working in printmaking and assemblage, Neil's areas of investigation are currently landscape, erotica, local politics and self-sabotaging behaviour. He has a fetish for linoleum.
http://www.differentdrum.webs.com/ http://www.diglog.blogspot.com/

Thomas Cruz

Thomas Cruz, from the Galapagos Islands, is an international Year 3 BFA student at the Quay School of the Arts and is majoring in the discipline of painting.

Working on a variety of supports, Cruz works are bright and vibrational in colour, and with a unique expressive style. His works are popular with private collectors.

Red

Red of the R1000F Studio is a printmaker with passion and exceptional ability, but also blends works through film making, sculpture and construction.

His debut with the R1000F Swarm Exhibition of 2007 was quickly followed by a solo show and is now a regular exhibitor.

Craig Watson

Craig Watson is a graduate of the Diploma of Art and Creativity from Wellington’s TLC.

As a printmaker, he has already had several commissions for book illustrations, but is also a painter with a very empathetic feel to his portrait and representational subjects, while being bold with his abstract and conceptual works.

Hamish Webster

Hamish Webster is a student doing the Diploma in Glass Design and Production at Wanganui Glass School. Working mainly in hot glass, Hamish has a bold and confident approach to form and colour in his glass works.

He is a Wanganui Incorporated Scholarship recipient from the Wanganui Glass School.

Aaron Potaka

Aaron Potaka is convener of the Wanganui National and is also exhibiting. Another student from the Quay School of the Arts and a recipient of a Maori Education Trust Scholarship, he will be showing pieces in painting and printmaking. His works too, are in private collections.

The Wanganui National Art Exhibition and Award is presented by Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios

Copyright © 2009 Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios