Big prizemoney for No 8 wire art

Entries for the Fieldays No 8 Wire National Art Awards are now open and with a cash first prize double that of last year, organisers hope to attract more ingenious and unique exhibits than ever.

Held annually around the Fieldays event, the No 8 Wire National Art Award challenges artists to create artworks using predominantly No 8 wire.

Judging the 2014 competition is acclaimed sculptor Greer Twiss, who has exhibited for over 50 years and was one of the first New Zealand artists to work in cast bronze. Once called New Zealand’s ‘Godfather’ of contemporary sculpture, in 2002 he was made an Officer of the Order of Merit for sculpture in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Twiss said No 8 wire is an iconic concept material. ‘‘The romantic implications of its use go way beyond the reality of the farm fence.’’

The New Zealand National Fieldays Society partners with the Waikato Museum and ArtsPost Galleries & Shop to organise the No 8 National Art Award.

Waikato Museum director Cherie Meecham said Waikato Museum and Fieldays have redeveloped the iconic Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award to ensure its ongoing success.

First prize in the competition is $8000, second is $1000, and third is $500.

Entries close on May 2. Finalists will be announced on May 16, and the prizegiving will in Hamilton on June 5. The works will be exhibited to the public from June 6 to July 7.

To read the competition criteria and download an entry form, visit the website, fieldays.co.nz/ enterno8wire.