NZ Art Show Offers $10,000 to Art Students

Media Release - February 28, 2017

for immediate release

$10,000 ON OFFER TO ART STUDENTS

The NZ Art Show is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2017 RT Nelson Emerging Artist Awards where four art students are awarded $2,500 each.

Established in 2012, the awards recognise the talents of emerging artists who are studying for a diploma or degree in visual arts at an established New Zealand art school. Art schools are able to nominate their top students and art students may also nominate themselves; four recipients will be selected from those nominated.

NZ Art Show executive director Carla Russell says, “The RT Nelson Emerging Artist Awards are a vital component of the NZ Art Show; they were founded to help gain recognition for art students and help establish their careers beyond art school, consistent with our aim to promote a vibrant art community and a wider appreciation of original New Zealand art”

She hopes that the experience of previous award recipients will provide an incentive for art schools and art students to apply.

Tyler Jackson, student at Whiti o Rehua School of Art, Massey University, Wellington, was one of the 2016 recipients and exhibited five artworks at the show, all of which sold out.

“Receiving the R T Nelson Emerging Artist Award was a highlight for me, “says Jackson. “The financial reward was hugely beneficial to my practice providing material cost for the future.

“The show provided me with a great platform to disseminate my work to over ten thousand visitors. It was an extremely successful weekend with a significant number of conversations taking place with collectors and the public. Months onwards, I am still meeting people who viewed my work at the NZ Art show.”

Carla says that this is a key example of how the RT Nelson Emerging Artist Awards can aid promising artists. “These awards provide opportunities beyond the classroom, and can be seen as a stepping stone to the development of their artistic career,’ she says.

The Emerging Artist Awards were made possible through the generosity of Wellington philanthropist and business executive Richard T Nelson, an avid art collector and patron of the NZ Art Show.

Carla encourages art lecturers, tutors and students to apply for these awards “The NZ Art Show provides an ideal platform for emerging artists to increase their profile, get recognition and the opportunity to win a prestigious award.”

In addition to the prize money, the four recipients get the opportunity to exhibit their prize-winning artworks in a high-profile gallery space in the 2017 NZ Art Show, thus enabling their talent to be viewed by thousands of art enthusiasts and collectors.

Last year’s award recipients were: Tyler Jackson, Whiti o Rehua School of Art, Massey University, Wellington; Donna-Marie Patterson, University of Canterbury, Ilam School of Art; Harry Culy, Whiti o Rehua School of Art, Massey University, Wellington; Donna-Marie Patterson; and Tessa Ma’auga, Toioho ki Apiti – Maori Visual Arts, Palmerston North.

More information can be found on the NZ Art Show website: http://www.artshow.co.nz/awards/

Applications can be made to Carla Russell: carla@artshow.co.nz

ENDS

ABOUT THE NZ ART SHOW

The NZ Art Show makes it easy & affordable for any New Zealander to own a piece of original NZ art.

Held annually in Wellington, the NZ Art Show is New Zealand’s largest sale of original New Zealand art works. It promotes a wide range of art with the aim of encouraging all New Zealanders to own original New Zealand art. Exhibiting around 3,000 artworks by about 300 artists, attendees are free to view and purchase art in a dynamic and stimulating environment. More than 10,000 people visit the show over the four-day show period proving that art is for everyone.

The dates for the 2017 show:

Queen’s Birthday Weekend, June 2 – 5, Friday – Monday, daily from 10am

Gala Evening Thursday June 1, 6.30pm

Since it all began in 2004, The NZ Art Show is proud to be accessible, affordable, and reputable as a true representative of New Zealand’s diverse and unique artistic community. Artworks are priced between $50 and $5,000, unchanged since 2004, and the average price is $650.

QUICK STATISTICS FROM THE PAST 13 YEARS

· More than 4,000 NZ artists represented

· More than $11 million of art sold

· Around $9.8 million returned back to the artists themselves

· More than 38,000 artworks exhibited

· Around 19,200 artworks sold

· $98,000 presented to artists in award programmes

· Over 110,000 people have attended the shows

Consistent with the aim of promoting a vibrant art community and helping NZ artists establish themselves, the NZ Art Show currently provides two arts awards:

RT Nelson Emerging Artist Awards

· Four cash prizes of $2,500 each. These awards are open to students studying visual art at degree and/or diploma level at a recognised tertiary art school in New Zealand

· Schools are invited to nominate their most promising students

· The winners will have their artworks exhibited at the NZ Art Show event in 2017

· Sponsored by Wellington business man and art investor Richard T Nelson

Brendan Foot Supersite Signature Piece Art Award

· A cash prize of $3,000 awarded to an outstanding artwork chosen by the public

· 10 finalists, chosen by the Show’s selection panel, are exhibited in the show’s Signature Piece Gallery at the NZ Art Show 2017 with the winner decided by public vote: all visitors to the Show can vote for their favourite

· Sponsored by Lower Hutt car dealership Brendan Foot Supersite

The annual event is complemented by an online art gallery located on the NZ Art Show website, artshow.co.nz, and features a range of styles, mediums and prices. Artworks can be purchased directly from the artists. The online gallery extends the reach of NZ art to a wider audience and provides a further outlet for artists.

The NZ Art Show’s vision is to encourage New Zealanders to celebrate NZ culture and identity through NZ art and to promote NZ artists by providing opportunities to further their development. As a not-for-profit organisation the NZ Art Show is a significant contributor to many in New Zealand’s art community with many people benefiting from its operations and activities.

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