City art gallery marks 21 years
It has been part of the Palmerston North cityscape for 21 years and the anniversary celebration of Taylor-jensen Fine Arts marks its service to the arts.
Managing director Stuart Schwartz said that when it opened in 1997, the gallery filled a niche.
‘‘The gallery built a regular clientele of local citizens who appreciated the quality and variety of works on display.
‘‘We would like to think that we have been, and continue to be, successful in getting the local population to support local artists and to move from photo-mechanical prints to affordable original art for their homes and offices.’’
It was established by Dennis Jensen and Schwartz at a time when Schwartz said no ‘‘commercial or dealer gallery dedicated to showing the best in regional art and sculpture had existed in the community for some time’’.
The two set about contacting regional artists and converting the first floor of Norfolk House into a functional gallery. The gallery has featured more than 150 artists and has held more than 300 exhibitions.
Originally intended to house only regional paintings and sculpture, the gallery took on exhibiting craft work when most of the craft shops and craft co-ops in the city closed in the first three years of its operation.
Schwartz said the gallery served the community ‘‘in a number of ways . . . over the years’’.
‘‘It is the local community purchasing art regularly throughout the last 21 years that has supported gallery artists and in turn enabled the gallery to prosper. Not being located in a tourist town like Taupo¯, Napier or Christchurch has meant reliance on the local population, who have responded well to the artwork presented year after year.’’