Arts on the coast are flourishing
It’s been a busy January for arts on the coast. First off, the Ō taki Festival of Pots and Garden Art once again drew record numbers to enjoy a high-quality exhibition of indoor and outdoor pottery and sculpture. This event reflects the importance and quality of pottery in Kā piti, and celebrates and presents the works in a wonderful setting at Anam Cara Gardens. This couldn’t happen without a huge effort from the Ō taki Pottery Club and volunteers, and the contribution of many artists.
Several of those artists were from The Shed Project taking part for the first time. The Shed Project is an organisation that provides training and employment opportunities for local disabled and disadvantaged people. A significant aspect of the work they do is around creativity, and it was great to see their work at the festival.
They followed up with an exhibition at Toi Mahara the following week. Ineffable is an impressive collection of work that opened on Friday. The artists are encouraged to find and develop their unique styles through the exploration of various mediums, colour and texture, and that’s certainly reflected
in this diverse exhibition. As councillor Liz Koh said when opening the exhibition, it’s an example of how Toi Mahara is “truly a gallery for everyone”.
At the opening, gallery director Janet Bayly gave an update on the first few months of gallery operation. About 150 artists have now exhibited, and over 3000 visitors have walked through the doors. Visitors frequently comment on how impressed they are with the facility.
The Kilns Project, another new exhibition at Toi Mahara that opened last weekend, follows the relocation of the Smisek kilns in Te Horo. The exhibition by Elizabeth Vullings explores the restoration through ceramics, painting and installation. With the Kilns attraction opening over the summer to welcome visitors, it’s great to see an exhibition that brings together two of our newest cultural destinations.
Finally, it was wonderful to see progress on the murals on the Te Horo toilets by artists Sean Duffell and Swift Mantis last week. That, alongside the installation of the new history information boards at Waikanae Beach, and another successful Heritage Clue Hunt over the long weekend, all help add to a busy programme of arts and culture that’ll continue throughout 2024.