Festival shows best of the Bay
This year’s Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival will highlight the strength and diversity of the community of visual artists from Hawke’s Bay and further afield. A community of established and emerging artists, curators, and teachers have come together to express their love, admiration, and gratitude for Roy Dunningham in Remembering Roy a stunning tribute exhibition that will run at the Hastings Community Arts Centre from October 5 to 31.
Dunningham, a well-known arts advocate and critic, who died in April this year, had a life-long involvement in the visual arts, teaching, mentoring and supporting many artists. Among his students were musician Phil Judd and artists Sam Trubridge, Regan Gentry, Freeman White and Matthew Couper.
Margaret Cranwell said Dunningham was indisputably the driver in the engine room of public opinion on the arts in Hawke’s Bay.
“A position he occupied for more than 50 years. Educator, arts advocate and critic, he worked across the spectrum of arts-related activities and entities in the region. Firing up creative imagination at secondary school level to his advisory role with both Napier and Hastings art institutions. Not forgetting his unstintingly generous contribution to the many community art groups as lecturer, selector and reviewing exhibitions. All this backed up with Roy’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the arts. Anyone interested in the arts would have come across Roy wearing one of his many hats.”
Remembering Roy is centred around selected works from his own art collection. It includes works by Wellesley Binding, Shane Cotton, Piera McArthur, Brian Dew, Regan Gentry, Helen Kerridge and Gary Waldrom, alongside many other established artists.
Nuit blanche — Art after Dark will be held on October 16 from 6 to 10pm and has a great visual arts component with participating galleries including Hohepa Creative Works, The Rabbit Room, BoydDunlop Gallery, CAN — Creative Arts Napier, Morganmade, Tennyson Gallery, Department of Curiosities and Fine Things, MTG and SPA_CE.
The Hawke’s Bay Art Trail returns as part of the Festival for a second year. Grab an Art Trail map from an I-site, cafe´ or gallery and over Labour Weekend take an inspiring meander around artist studios, galleries and pop-ups.
The Art Trail showcases the Hawke’s Bay Art Guide participants and will include workshops and demonstrations throughout the weekend. Seven Havelock North artists show a diverse range of painting media and ceramics, including Kay Bazzard, Susanne Clarke and Gina Guerin. In Clive, painter Susan Davidson teams up with Tukituki potter Kim Morgan. Next door is Peter Maclean wood design, and on the coast Ema Scott’s exquisite sculptural pieces, Jo Fisher’s glorious landscapes, and Mary Jessie Sullivan’s intriguing encaustic process, plus others.
Downtown Hastings boasts wonderful public art and Hastings City Art Gallery has partnered with Arts Inc Heretaunga to bring you a fascinating one-hour tour, led by John Eaden. Get the in-depth stories and understand the relevance to the urban landscape.
Meet at the Hastings City Art Gallery at 11am, Saturday 23rd October. Tour is free of charge.
In Napier drop into Creative Arts Napier and where five painters will be exhibiting including. Also featured in the Creative Arts Napier space are forty painted Gary Brooks Orbs, embellished by invited Hawke’s Bay artists. Additionally in downtown Napier are Hawke’s Bay Inkers who have a collective pop-up with a wide range of prints for sale and demonstrations throughout the weekend. Helen Dynes and Pukeko Jewellery will be based at Waiohiki Arts Village and we are planning to offer a 'Mixed media play time' over the weekend.
Studios will be open October 23 and 24, from 10am to 4pm. Visit hawkesbayartguide.co.nz for more info.
Fire & Music is a community and family event at Waiohiki Creative Arts Village, a thriving hub of artists and craftspeople, near the spectacular historic O¯ta¯tara Pa¯ site. From 5pm on October 22, gather friends and family and pop out to visit the village when studio doors are open for a night of art and alchemy, craft, culture, music and fire, food and drink.
The Arts Village is open and welcomes visitors any day of the Festival. From October 16, Taradale Pottery Group will be loading one of New Zealand's largest ceramic kilns and firing it for five days from October 21 October. Join us for the public opening of the kiln at 10am on 31 October. For further details visit waiohikiartsvillage.com.
Come and create your own Hawke’s Bay visual arts experience. Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival October 16 to 31. For more information: hbaf.co.nz