Local Artists Announced For RenewArt Community Showcase

More than 100 arts and cultural practitioners in the Queenstown Lakes District stand to benefit from the RenewArt initiative by the Three Lakes Cultural Trust.

The Trust has today announced the 41 successful recipients of the RenewArt grants, who will now receive funding for their creative work to be displayed or performed at free community arts celebrations in Queenstown and Wanaka next month. The events will also bring an economic boost to the region by engaging a variety of local businesses, from venues to audio-visual and hire services.

Twenty visual artists and 21 performing arts groups – in total more than 100 local residents – will now have six weeks to create their works before the RenewArt creative community showcases are held on October 9-10 in Queenstown and October 16-17 in Wanaka. The events are proudly supported by the Hugo Charitable Trust.

The full list of artists – representing an even mix from both sides of the Crown Range – can be located here.

Three Lakes Cultural Trust general manager Jo Brown says the Trust was overwhelmed by the response after it called for applications in July. Artists had to submit a concept of what they would be creating and how it related to the theme of ‘renewal’.

“The selection panellists were very impressed by the calibre of the applications and thought the breadth of visual media used was innovative and exciting, and the performing artists presented thought-provoking and engaging concepts. The panellists also expressed how confident they were about the cultural future of our region,” she says.

“The RenewArt creative community showcase promises to be an enjoyable and entertaining event for the community while providing an opportunity to support the incredible artistic talent we have right here in our region. We understand that this is the first time an event like this, offering the work of so many different performing and visual artists, has ever taken place in our district and we are very excited to present it.”

The idea behind RenewArt was to create uplifting events to be enjoyed by the entire district post-Covid-19, while also enabling a paid work opportunity for local artists.

The Trust has secured commitments in excess of $180,000 to deliver the project and reward selected artists for their work. The RenewArt community events are supported by funding from the Hugo Charitable Trust, Three Lakes Cultural Trust, Central Lakes Trust, Community Trust South, Otago Community Trust and Creative New Zealand.

RenewArt event details

The RenewArt exhibitions will showcase the best of local visual arts alongside a variety of staged performances. Both events are free to the public and tickets will be available through Eventbrite from Thursday, September 10.

Queenstown
Friday, October 9, 7.30pm
Saturday, October 10, 4pm
Location: Queenstown Events Centre, Joe O'Connell Drive, Frankton

Wanaka
Friday, October 16, 7.30pm
Saturday, October 17, 4pm
Location: Lake Wanaka Centre, 89 Ardmore Street, Wanaka

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