Artists turn eye to changes in CBD
Two Southland-affiliated artists, Daegan Wells and Kyla Cresswell, have been selected for prestigious William Hodges Fellowships.
The fellowships are offered through the Southland Art Foundation, and chairperson Lyndal Ludlow says these are slightly different to previous ones.
‘‘This time we wanted to offer fellowships to artists from or strongly connected to Southland,’’ she said.
‘‘It was a considered move following the pandemic where we wanted to invest into the local art scene.
‘‘They will each spend three months during the summer working on their interpretation of the Invercargill CBD, which has undergone – and is still undergoing – tremendous change. They will be joining the community . . . to promote and share their style of work, and both will hold exhibitions.’’
Colac Bay artist Daegan Wells graduated with a master of fine arts from the University of Canterbury’s Ilam School of Fine Arts in 2015.
In 2017, he was the recipient of the Olivia Spencer Bower residency award in Christchurch.
Through his archival and sculptural practice, Wells uses narrative to address events from recent history.
Kyla Cresswell is a practising artist working mainly in printmaking techniques. Growing up in Invercargill, she began printmaking at James Hargest College.
She completed a bachelor of fine art, majoring in printmaking, at the Otago School of Art, where she studied under Marilynn Webb and Chris de Jong.
Ludlow said: ‘‘The Southland Art Foundation is proud to be able to add to the group of significant artists who are previous recipients, and we look forward to seeing what Daegan and Kayla produce during their time here. Our collection will also benefit, with some of the work that will be produced being added to it.
‘‘The exhibition that follows will also be a highlight, and we’re really looking forward to the artists being able to share their creations with the public.’’
The Southland Art Foundation’s William Hodges Fellowship dates back to 1996 with more than 40 artists covering a variety of mediums as former fellows.