The Whangarei Art Museum is proud to present Surf Tails: By R.S. Moore, their first dedicated children’s exhibition.
The exhibition has been developed around the children’s book, Surf Tails, written and illustrated by Northland artist
Rebecca Moore. Surf Tails delightfully dips into surf politics and the friendships that endure the ocean’s swells. It is
inspired by the authors local break, Ocean Beach, and the weird and wonderful creatures that surf its waves.
The exhibition opening, which doubled as the official book launch, opened to a packed gallery. Children were treated to
a visual and aural sensation, including a book reading by the author, and entertainment by local band Little Ripples who
created the soundscape for the exhibition.
Little Ripples is a collective of musicians making music for children. “The inspiration for our songs stem from our
experience as parents and teachers and our mission to promote children’s well-being through beautiful music.” said
Musician and band member Emily Benge.
The creators of both these creative projects are mums living in the Whangarei Heads area. "Our work is inspired by being
parents and raising kids in the beautiful Whangarei Heads community. We want to tell stories and make music that is
beautiful, and authentic for tamariki growing up in Aotearoa" Mrs Benge said.
From November, WAM began using one of its two gallery spaces for a range of arts programs and events, workshops and
pop-up exhibitions. Curator and Exhibition Manager, Carrie Morgan is excited about the new venture, saying it provides a
wider scope to engage with the vibrant creative community. “WAM is Whangarei’s art gallery. But it’s also a space where
we want to inspire new artists and support them in their creative ventures” Ms Morgan said. “By using the Younghusband
Gallery in a new and engaging way, we are able to do just that.”
This type and scope of programming hasn’t been possible in the past as there was simply no space available and limited
flexibility to shuffle or change the exhibition schedule, with the main galleries exhibitions scheduled up to two years
in advance.
The Surf Tails exhibition will run until 20 January 2019 and both the Surf Tails book and Little Ripples album are
available for purchase at Whangarei Art Museum.
See www.whangareiartmuseum.co.nz for more information or contact Heather Hansen to organise interviews and photo opportunities.