Wonderfest for the winter
The Winter Wonderfest is well under way, with the programme wrapping up on Sunday.
The festival launched with the opening of our feature exhibition Fresh Start at Space Studio and Gallery. You have until 4pm this Friday to check it out, and it really is worth a viewing. With a strong line-up of well-known Whanganui women artists participating, it is an elegant and thoughtful show. Gallery owner Sarah Williams is generously donating 10 per cent of all sales to the Women’s Network. So if you’re in the market for some new art for your collection, or simply want to find something for the walls at home, you’ll also be supporting a good cause. The gallery and studio space upstairs have been action-packed with activity over the last 10 days. Our opening weekend featuring two musical duos was mesmerising in the studios, and since then there’s been a pop-up drawing exhibition, cheese-making, an intaglio printing workshop, and the ever-popular seasonal night market. Interestingly, around 80 per cent of the 200 folk who came through the doors on Saturday night were new visitors to the night market and Space. It was a pleasure to chat with you all, and to see people enjoying the experience. Thanks to all our participating creatives for generating such a vibrant and welcome atmosphere under the watchful eye of organiser-inchief Sarah.
Tonight we are very excited about our film screening of My Year With Helen at Embassy 3 Cinema. Tickets are available for sale at the Royal Wanganui Opera House until 4pm today, $20 general admission [excluding service fees], with refreshments in the foyer at the Embassy from 7pm. Door sales are not guaranteed at this stage so be sure to get in and grab a ticket so you don’t miss out as they have been selling well. Our team has been very fortunate that Helen Clark is such a great social media user as she has been tweeting and Facebooking about our film screening, as well as giving it an extra plug at the celebratory dinner at UCOL last Friday.
Tomorrow you can enjoy a meditation evening at Wisdom Is Yours, 200b Victoria Ave, from 7-8pm. This is a great chance to also try some other healing modalities, ph/txt Natasha 027 253 1858 if you’re keen to check it out. And, on Friday, the Ladies’ Rest will be transformed into a wedding dress extravaganza where there will be around 40 wedding dresses on display. They are available for purchase, plus you’ll also have the chance to check out our newly redecorated in-house boutique featuring a range of popular labels and stylish garments for you to browse or buy. Drop in and see us from 10am-4pm this Friday at 75 St Hill St.
This Saturday sees the penultimate event for our Winter Wonderfest with the second Nourish Your Soul Wellbeing Expo at the Whanganui Girls’ College hall in Jones St. Join us from 9am-5pm, gold coin admission, and experience an interesting array of stalls featuring a variety of practitioners, healers, therapists and creatives offering all sorts of goodness to promote wellness, as well as a programme of free workshops to get involved with. Last year was hugely successful, and the team at the Women’s Network is delighted that we are the charitable recipient of funds raised from this event. For those of you on Facebook you can check out all the details on the Nourish Your Soul Facebook page. To find out more about the workshop programme and stalls on offer, feel free to contact Tracy 021 761 511 or or via email: nourishyoursoulday@gmail.com
Thanks to everyone who has been out supporting our activities. It’s been wonderful to see you all and to chat with you.
■ For more info about what’s left in the Winter Wonderfest programme, or our other coming events, email: womnet.wang@callplus.net.nz