Taranaki Arts Trail 2017 to art’s other side
The 2017 Taranaki Arts Trail is set to lift the lid on the creative process behind the works of local artists.
While the region is known for its dairy, oil and gas industries, in the shadow of Mount Taranaki a flourishing art scene also exists.
All will be revealed on June 10-11 when the trail begins and 60 creative practitioners open the doors to their studios and workshops to invite the curious among us into their fold.
People tempted to cut a track on one of the four trails that cover each corner of the province can expect a sensory overload of the often unseen side of the art world.
With emerging through to established artists, trail-goers can experience first-hand an art evolution, so to speak.
The line-up of welcoming creatives will display a refreshingly broad spectrum of art, Including sculptures, oil paintings, ceramics, mixed media, textiles, pastels and more.
If your more of a city dweller and don’t fancy veering too far off course there’s still plenty to see inner city. This year photographers Brooke Lean and Gina Fabish will be opening the doors of their inner city studio.
The pair shared more than a passion for photography for the past ten years. Lean and Fabish, both 34, spent the last five years working as a collaborative.
Now they are curators of Virtue, an exhibition space, and visitors can get a close up look at what makes them ‘click’ at their inner city studio.
The trail coincides with the Puke Ariki exhibition Home Work: Taranaki Art 2017, with 15 places of interest and four hospitality venues scattered around the mountain.
The Mokau Museum and Art Gallery will greet trail visitors entering the region from the north; those from the south will be welcomed by four local artists, Gallery Patea and Aotea Utanganui Museum.
Those who can’t make the trail won’t miss out; an exhibition of works by artists on the trail shows at the Percy Thompson Gallery in Stratford from June 2 25.
Trail booklets and maps are available at i-sites, cafes and galleries nationally. They can also be found at the Novotel New Plymouth Hobson.
For any more information contact Emma Crofskey at taranakiartstrail@gmail.com or visit www.tarankiartstrail.co.nz.