ARTLAND NZ
Why Whanganui is attracting attention in the arts space
Ceramic artist and teacher Andrea du Chatenier first came to Whanganui from Auckland 16 years ago, after she was selected for the Tylee Cottage residency.
She and her husband (and fellow artist) Anthony Davies have been here ever since, and they even had a studio trucked on to their 1000sq m section in Aramoho.
“After that residency I started doing some teaching at the art school, and that’s what trapped me,” du Chatenier said.
“The school was small, but it had a huge amount of soul in terms of what it was trying to accomplish. It was a big idea in a small place.
“That really was a major thing in me staying, and it actually brought a lot of people here, many of whom stayed on as well.
“There’s an understanding that art is an integral part of our cultural fabric here, and that’s pretty damn fantastic.”
Du Chatenier said that as well as being an “economically viable” place to live, Whanganui also offered support for artists that other centres didn’t.
“Other cities don’t have the same support for art and design. They might have big galleries, but it’s not infiltrated within the whole city like it is in Whanganui.”
The Sarjeant Gallery is a major factor behind local artist and winner of this year’s Patillo Whanganui Arts Review, Andrea Gardner, spending the best part of three decades here, after arriving “sight unseen”.
“That has made a huge difference in our experience here, in particular the Tylee Cottage residency,” Gardner said.
“It has brought interesting artists in over the years that have given talks on their work and had exhibitions, like Andrea [du
Chatenier] of course.
“If that wasn’t there, we wouldn’t have had that opportunity to meet some really interesting people.
“There’s a constant influx of new ideas.”
Local musician, teacher, and freelance audio and video engineer Sacha Keating said a strength of
the arts in Whanganui was “our bicultural approach”.
“I’m going to say it: If you don’t [have] some sort of Ma¯ori influence, your work could be from
anywhere in the world,” Keating said.
“By having that strength and that relationship with our environment, and being inspired and motivated by it, makes our work distinctly ‘Whanganui’.
Keating said Whanganui expats returning home to apply their skills to local projects was also important. “There are a lot of practitioners out there who are contributing to the Ma¯ori film and music industry.
“For me personally, I’m with TVNZ, and my colleagues around me are working in mainstream broadcasting as well, and even those corporate monopoly companies have realised that we have a regional capability.”
Local government should be employing more Whanganui contractors, Keating said, as opposed to bringing in designers and engineers from other centres.
“It’s kind of like getting your neighbour to come over and paint your house, even though you have to live in it.”
Glass artist Katie Brown, who opened Brown and Co on the corner of Ridgway St and Drews Ave last March, said having the only glass school in New Zealand was a “major” for Whanganui.
She has been heavily involved in glass work in the city since setting up her studio in 2004.
“I went through the Polytechnic days, and a lot of those people have stayed on,” Brown said.
“That brings colour and culture into a city, and I don’t think you can put a value on that.”
This year’s Artist Open Studios, the 21st edition, was an example of a local art event growing with the help of “word of mouth”, Brown said.
“You know they’ll go away and
Students learning the ropes of the hospitality industry are set to gain some valuable on-the-job experience starting next week, as the Little Campus student training cafe opens to the public.
The cafe opens periodically throughout the year and gives students studying the Level 2 Hospitality course the chance to hone their barista skills and gain deeper insight on topics such as health and safety and customer service.
Training For You hospitality tutor Bex Carr says opening the campus cafe is a perfect fit for the work experience hours the students need to complete for their qualification.
“The Little Campus Cafe is a wonderful opportunity for the public to come along and support our students while enjoying quality barista blend coffee,” Carr said.
While running the cafe, students will also be managing a fundraising effort in support of Women’s Refuge Whanganui.
Last year’s cafe fundraiser event, in aid of City Mission Whanganui Foodbank, resulted in two supermarket trolleys full of cans and other non-perishable food items, plus $560 in cash for the non-profit organisation.
The cafe on 148 Ingestre St will have $2.50 large coffees, herbal teas, and iced frappes as well as a slices and scones daily from Monday to Friday from March 29 to April 30.