Our creative area is getting well-trodden lately, with local tours revealing the artists and curators behind the thriving art scene in and around Ponsonby/Grey Lynn.
Art Walks were organised by Emil McAvoy in partnership with Art Now, the K’Road Business Association and I Love Ponsonby, to provide free walking tours of galleries and studios in March, with plans for more later in the year.
As guides, Emil employed people with insider knowledge: working with Emil were Claire Chamberlain, co-chair of the NZ at Venice Trust, artist and curator Kahurangi Smith, and artist Evan Woodruffe.
They led their groups through Artist-run Spaces like RM and Tautai, public galleries Objectspace, Artspace, and Audio Foundation, artist studios, art production hub endemicworld, dealer galleries OREXART, {Suite} and the galleries and auction house Art+Object.
Coming straight after Level 3 Lockdown, it was exciting to experience the high level of participation, of people keen to discover more of their community and hear directly from art professionals.
Art Travel has been leading national and international art tours for over ten years. With overseas temporarily unavailable, director Glen Armstrong has extended the Art Travel local tours, with a strong focus on those who make art.
Their City Fringe Makers Tour in May and June takes in ceramic artists in Grey Lynn and Westmere, and painters’ studios in the central city and Kingsland. Glen packs in plenty of unique insight, alongside guest guides such as Sue Gardiner, Chair of the Chartwell Trust, Urban Design expert Matthew Bradbury, and words directly from the makers themselves. Check out their 2021 line-up at www.arttravel.co.nz
While we are sheltered from the global pandemic, we are discovering more of our neighbourhood. What may have been taken for granted is now seen as essential and in need of attention – the Arts in particular help lift us in times of stress, and enrich us emotionally. What better way to explore our community and ourselves than a stroll around the concentrated artiness of our area? (EVAN WOODRUFFE/STUDIO ART SUPPLIES)
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