Now in its seventh year, the Zonta Ashburton Female Art Award exhibition presented by The Zonta Club of Ashburton in partnership with the Ashburton Art Gallery showcases the works of emerging and mid-career female artists based in Canterbury. The award seeks to raise the status of female visual artists working in the wider Canterbury area and acknowledges excellence in emerging and mid-career female artists as well as providing a platform for female youth.

This year, 29 finalists were selected from 74 entries for the Premier Award, and 13 entries were featured in the Young Generation Award category, for those aged 16-20 years. Since this year’s exhibition opening on March 10, visitors have been voting for their favourite work from the selection of finalists to win our People’s Choice Award.

The winner of this year’s People’s Choice Award is Hazel Rae with her work Suits, which stood out as a clear favourite among the 478 votes that were cast. Suits is a painted triptych which reflects on the societal perception of women by reinventing images of housewives from the 1950s. With her characters imagined as playing cards, Hazel injects scenes of domesticity with chance and chaos.

Hazel Rae is currently in her third year of her Fine Arts degree at Ilam School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury. She will be awarded a prize of $100 for winning our People’s Choice Award. Hazel stated that “having the opportunity to exhibit my paintings alongside such stunning works by women artists of the Waitaha region at the Zonta Ashburton Female Art Awards was an honour.” She also noted that “hearing that the work resonated with the public is a huge compliment, and I am extremely grateful.”

The ZAFAA awards exhibition will be on display until 23 April 2023, allowing time for visitors to view Hazel's winning work, as well as the works of our Premier Award winner Jo Burzynska, our Young Generation Award winner Vivien Silver-Hessey, and all of our other fantastic finalists.

The awards exhibition is delivered through a partnership between the Zonta Club of Ashburton and the Ashburton Art Gallery, and generously supported by the following local organisations:

Ashburton District Creative Communities, Forsyth Barr, ANZ Private Banking, Bushey Park Trust, Everist Gilchrist Lawyers, Samantha Rose Flowers and Straight Eight Estate Vineyard, Frame & Co, Scorpio Books, Kate Murney and Barkers Foodstore.

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