Entry Now Open to National Art Award

ENTRY NOW OPEN TO NATIONAL ART AWARD

9 March 2015

For Immediate Release

Entry is now open to the National Contemporary Art Award, sponsored by Tompkins Wake Lawyers and Chow: Hill Architects, and managed by Waikato Museum.

This is the 16th year of this national award which promotes and celebrates New Zealand contemporary art. Waikato Museum Director Cherie Meecham says the award is pivotal in documenting New Zealand artists and their work.

“This art award has cemented itself as an established and awaited event on the New Zealand arts calendar,” said Ms Meecham.

“Not only do artists have the opportunity to have their work selected by a high calibre judge, all finalists’ entries are exhibited in a premium gallery space at Waikato Museum from July – November, and their artworks are offered for sale.”

This year’s judge, Aaron Kreisler, Head of School at Ilam School of Fine Arts, joins a long line of leading New Zealand curators who have judged the National Contemporary Art Award.

The former curator at Dunedin Public Art Gallery has produced numerous art projects and exhibitions, and as an award-winning arts reviewer, Kreisler has written extensively on contemporary art and artists from the Asia-Pacific region.

Entry to the award will close on 6 May 2015. The National Contemporary Art award introduced a fairer, ‘blind’ online judging system last year and the success of this has meant it will be retained for future awards. Entry is online here.

The winner and merit award winners will be announced at the award ceremony on 17 July at Waikato Museum. The award exhibition will be on show at Waikato Museum from 18 July until 1 November 2015.

The winner of the 2015 National Contemporary Art Award will receive S15, 000 from the major joint sponsors,Chow:Hill and Tompkins Wake.

For more information visit waikatomuseum.co.nz/ncaa and follow the award on Facebook .

ENDS

About Aaron Kreisler

Aaron Kreisler is the Head of School at Ilam School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury.

In his previous role as curator at Dunedin Public Art Gallery he produced numerous projects, and exhibitions. Kreisler has written extensively on contemporary art and artists from the Asia-Pacific region and is an award-winning arts reviewer. Read more here.

Key dates:

9 March entries open

6 May entries close

17 July winner and merit award winners announced

18 July–1 November 2015 award exhibition open

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