MEDIA RELEASE
Date: 24 July 2008
Visual Arts Residency awarded to Jim Vivieaere
Visual artist Jim Vivieaere (New Zealand Cook Island Māori) is the recipient of the 2008 Creative New Zealand Pacific
Arts Committee and National University of Samoa Artist in Residence, based at the National University in Apia, Samoa.
The residency is for a period of three months from mid August 2008 until mid November 2008.
The residency, which this year was open to New Zealand based Pacific visual artists, is an opportunity for artists
across different artforms wanting to perform, exhibit or undertake research projects in Samoa. The residency is an
important component of Creative New Zealand’s commitment to investing in New Zealand Pacific communities and
strengthening and building cultural identity through the arts.
“Jim Vivieaere has been a pivotal figure in the visual arts community for more than 20 years and is highly regarded as
an artist, curator and advisor. He has been instrumental in raising the profile of New Zealand based Pacific Island
artists and will be a wonderful ambassador for New Zealand”, said Stephen Wainwright, Chief Executive of Creative New
Zealand.
For Jim Viviaere, the residency offers the opportunity to compile a new body of work as well as continuing to explore
themes that he is currently working on.
“I’m honoured to have this opportunity and am looking forward to collaborating with other artists and sharing my
experience in a mentoring role”, he said.
The 2008 residency aims to benefit both the selected artist and the Samoan arts community. It is an opportunity for an
established New Zealand-based Pacific artist to interact and share his/her skills with the Samoan arts community and
encourage the development of visual arts skills among local school students, Samoan artists and the wider community. The
residency provides the selected artist with the security of income and access to resources to gain professional
development, develop a new body of work and support the artist to market his/her work outside New Zealand.
In 2006 the focus was performing arts and Nathaniel Lees was the recipient.
ENDS