The 2010 New Zealand Art Show TSB Bank Arena in Wellington July 30 - August 1The 2010 New Zealand Art Show, now in its seventh year, has dropped the “affordable' from its name but still promises to provide the public with a huge range of affor
The 2010 New Zealand Art Show
TSB Bank Arena in Wellington
July 30 - August 1
The 2010 New Zealand Art Show, now in its seventh year, has dropped the “affordable’ from its name but still promises to provide the public with a huge range of affordable, quality works by artists from around the country.
“The feedback we were getting was that people thought the word ‘affordable’ in our title was detracting from the high quality of what we offer,” said executive director Carla Russell.
“They’d come to the shows thinking affordable meant cheap in price and quality and be blown away by the top notch, collectable artworks that are a beautiful feature in anyone’s home.”
The trust that runs the annual show retains the title of the New Zealand Affordable Art Trust and continues to guarantee that the pricing of the artworks remains in the range of $100 to $5000 maximum.
“The trust’s vision remains the same: to encourage New Zealanders to celebrate our identity and culture by buying affordable New Zealand art by living artists and to promote and expose new, emerging and established artists,” Russell says.
The gala evening on Thursday 29 July, which has been a sell-out for the past four years, will be open only to Friends of the Trust, sponsors and their guests. Fine food, wine and entertainment will enliven the gala evening at which guests have the opportunity to be first to view and purchase from 3500 works by 500 selected artists.
“The 2010 New Zealand Art Show promises to be another visual feast. Registrations are in full swing and the list of artists registered is continually growing with some new and exciting work submitted,” Russell says.
Two features of the show are the Single Artist Walls and the Signature Piece Award.
Selection for the Single Artist Walls will take place in April and will result in 80 artists selected to showcase the full range of their work and to be available to discuss them with the public. The Signature Piece Award will see 10 artworks selected as finalists with one artist winning a grant to further his or her career.
The New Zealand Affordable Art Trust was established in 2004 with the objectives of facilitating, promoting, educating and fostering support for new, emerging and established New Zealand artists.
The intention was to create a relaxed yet dynamic exhibition of original NZ art showcasing artworks of all genres, techniques and styles for everyone to enjoy. The success of the first show in 2004 and subsequent shows proved that the NZAAT was filling a much needed gap in the arts world with nearly 8000 artworks being purchased since the first show.
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Each year about 10,000 people flock through the doors to see thousands of pieces of artwork representing hundreds of NZ artists.
In its first year just under $400,00O worth of art sold and last year it was close to one million dollars
www.artshow.co.nz
