Art for EVERYONE
An ‘‘accessible’’ art space for Tinder dates, colouring Korean naval recruits, dancers and children have proved a drawcard for an extra 300,000 visitors to a year-old Te Papa gallery.
Toi Art marked its first year on Saturday posting results of 670,346 through its doors – almost double the target of 350,000 set one year ago.
Three times as many people were coming to Toi Art compared with the former art gallery in Te Papa. One of Toi Art’s first big exhibitions was Terracotta Warriors, which accounted for 132,385 of the visitors.
Te Papa head of art Charlotte Davy said the success of Toi Art was the effect of making art more accessible but that wasn’t shorthand for ‘‘dumbing down’’.
‘‘We’ve received fantastic feedback about the quality of what we’re showing and how people can explore their creativity and participate in art in lots of new ways.
‘‘Toi Art focuses on a very interactive experience. It also uses the national art collection to inspire our audience and show them aspects of their culture and New Zealand.
‘‘It’s a very diverse space, it’s quite informal. People can relax and enjoy what they’re seeing. They can hang out and do different things while they’re in the space. ‘‘It’s not just about looking.’’ There had also been a focus on the concept of ‘‘art for everyone’’, and part of that was reflecting the diversity of Te Papa audiences by featuring Pacific, Ma¯ ori and Asian artists.
Wreda destination and attraction general manager David Perks said visitor spending was up in Wellington and Toi Art was ‘‘undoubtedly’’ a reason why.
People were willing to travel for the ‘‘fantastic’’ opportunity to see Terracotta Warriors, one of the ‘‘wonders of the world’’.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s latest monthly regional tourism estimates showed that 2019 in the capital had got off to a strong start with spending by international visitors for January increasing 14.48 per cent, to $93.06 million. The domestic tourism spend had risen by 1.11 per cent, at $126.6m. International tourist spend had risen 5.79 per cent, to $778.5m in the year ending January 2019. Domestic spending rose 3.92 per cent to $1.64 billion.
The increase in domestic visitors to the capital was also reflected in