2014 Westpac New Zealand Arts Awards recipients announced

2014 Westpac New Zealand Arts Awards recipients announced

3 November 2014

Following a ceremony at SkyCity Theatre this evening, the Arts Foundation of New Zealand has announced the 2014 recipients of their Laureate and New Generation Awards, the Harriet Friedlander New York Residency and Award for Patronage donations, including over half a million dollars in cash donations. Tonight’s Westpac New Zealand Arts Awards ceremony marks over $4.8million in philanthropic donations made to 167 New Zealand artists since the Foundation’s inception.

2014 Laureate Award recipients including a cash donation of $50,000 are:

• Actor and producer, Cliff Curtis (Film)
• Multi-disciplinary artist, Lisa Reihana (Visual Arts)
• Poet, Geoff Cochrane (Literature)
• Composer, Ross Harris (Music)
• Choreographer and director, Charles Koroneho (Dance)

2014 New Generation Award recipients including a cash donation of $25,000 are:

• Composer, performer and producer Dudley Benson (Music)
• Painter Star Gossage (Visual Arts)
• Actor and director duo Vela Manusaute and Anapela Polataivao (Theatre)

2014 recipient of the Harriet Friedlander Residency including $80,000 to live and work in New York is:
• Choreographer, dancer and video artist, Louise Potiki Bryant (Dance)

Previously announced Award for Patronage recipient Professor Jack C Richards awarded four donations of $10,000 including $20,000 as part of the Award and $20,000 he chose to donate personally.

2014 Award for Patronage donation recipients are:
• Gisborne International Music Competition
• EIT Tairawhiti for students in the Maori Arts Programme
• Te Tairawhiti Museum
• A book project in honour of Arts Foundation Laureate and composer, Jack Body

Many prior recipients have credited the receipt of an Arts Foundation Award with giving them the freedom and the confidence to continue to create extraordinary work.

Past recipients of the New Generation Award include Eleanor Catton who credits receiving a New Generation Award with giving her the time to write the Man Booker Prize winning, The Luminaries said: “The support of the Arts Foundation gave me the confidence to aim higher, to be braver, and to risk more. I hope that Arts Foundation Patrons and supporters enjoy The Luminaries and take extra pride in knowing that they helped in its creation”.

Prior Laureate Award recipient, Visual Artist Shane Cotton said of receiving a Laureate Award "Receiving a Laureate gives you confidence in what you have contributed to this point. Beyond this, it allows the journey to continue."

2014 Laureate Cliff Curtis, is already looking ahead at possibilities, he said: "This Award has given me such a shot of creative energy. I am in full flow setting up new projects. The Award is going to be expressed through my work as a collaborator serving others to tell stories of significance and purpose through the medium of moving light pictures".

2014 recipients were all advised several months ago by Arts Foundation Executive Director, Simon Bowden and were only able to publicly share news of their Award following an official announcement at the ceremony tonight. The Awards come as a total surprise to the artists, who are selected without application by a small panel.

Arts Foundation Awarded artists represent a wide variety of artistic disciplines including literature, music, visual arts, dance, film and theatre.

Donations made by Arts Foundation Patrons go to artists at the Westpac New Zealand Arts Awards. Patrons of the Arts Foundation have the right to nominate artists for Awards, have voting rights at the AGM, receive preferential seating and advance booking periods for events, are acknowledged in Arts Foundation publications. All donationsof $5 or more qualify for a 33% tax credit.

Westpac New Zealand recently came on board as name partner of the event, in addition to being Major Sponsor of the Arts Foundation and Lead Sponsor of the Foundation's crowdfunding platform, Boosted.

Westpac’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Sue Foley says, “We are committed to New Zealand and believe the arts is a vital part of a healthy society. The Arts Foundation is having a profound impact on the arts in New Zealand through its awards for talented artists. We are proud to support the Westpac New Zealand Arts Awards so we can all celebrate and support New Zealand artists”.

www.thearts.co.nz

TRUSTEES Fran Ricketts (Chair), Aimee McCammon, Andrew Harmos, Caroline Hutchison, David Ross, Derek Handley, Garth Gallaway, Gaylene Preston (ONZM), Neil Plimmer (MNZM), Professor Derek Lardelli (ONZM)

GOVERNORS Gaylene Preston (Chair) (ONZM), Bill Gosden (MNZM), Deirdre Tarrant (CNZM), Dr Deidre Brown, Dr Lloyd Williams, Elizabeth Kerr (MNZM), Elizabeth Knox (ONZM), Jim Geddes (QSO), Kate De Goldi , Warwick Freeman

MAJOR PARTNER Westpac

PLATINUM PARTNERS Jaguar, Macquarie Private Wealth New Zealand, Strategy Design & Advertising (Auckland)

GOLD PARTNERS Foley Family Wines, iSentia, Kensington Swan, McCollams Print, NV Interactive, Yeastie Boys

SILVER PARTNERS Henrietta Hall, Ricoh

TRUST SUPPORT ASB Community Trust, Canterbury Community Trust, The Lion Foundation

ENDS

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