$10,000 on offer to Emerging Artists at the NZ Art Show

Four art students studying visual arts at established New Zealand art schools are eligible to win a $2,500 Emerging Artist Award at this year’s NZ Art Show.

Established in 2012, the Emerging Artist Awards recognise and encourage emerging artists who are studying visual arts diploma or degree at an established New Zealand art school. Art schools are able to nominate up to three of their top students and the four recipients will be selected from those nominated.

NZ Art Show executive director Carla Russell says, “The Emerging Artist Awards were established to help young artists establish their careers and gain recognition for their work, consistent with our aim to promoting a vibrant art community and a wider appreciation of original New Zealand art.”

The Emerging Artist Awards were made possible through the generosity of a NZ Art Show patron and trustee, Wellingtonian Richard Nelson who has committed to funding these awards for the next three years.

Carla Russell encourages art lecturers and tutors to nominate their most talented students for these awards and urges students to ask their tutors to nominate them. “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.”

This year’s NZ Art Show will be held July 25 – 27 in the TSB Bank Arena, Queens Wharf on the Wellington waterfront, with the Show’s opening Gala Evening being held on Thursday, 24 July.

Last year’s Emerging Artist Awards winners were: Daniel Roberts from the Dunedin School of Art at Otago Polytechnic; Patrick Hickley from the College of Creative Arts, Massey University; and Helen Clegg and Veronika Djoulai, both who were studying at the Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design, Auckland.

Carla Russell says, “A further benefit of being nominated for this award is that the artworks of the four winners and finalists will be showcased in a separate gallery at the NZ Art Show. Over the past decade, the NZ Art Show has helped many of this country’s leading artists establish their professional careers. The Emerging Artist Awards provide another means to this end and also enable the Show’s visitors to experience and buy artworks from the next generation of talented artists.”

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.

The NZ Art Show promotes a wide range of art covering all mediums with the aim of enabling all New Zealanders to own original art. At the same time, it has helped provide the means for emerging artists to become established and helped create a dynamic arts community for the public to discover new artists and start or add to their art collection.

At the core of the NZ Art Show operations is a three-day art event held each year in Wellington.

The annual NZ Art Show art is the largest curated art sale of its kind and each year exhibits around 3,000 original artworks by some 300 artists: the emphasis is on quality NZ art at affordable prices by emerging and established artists in a dynamic and stimulating environment.

To emphasise the affordability of the show artworks are priced between $50 and $5,000, unchanged since 2004, and the average price is around $600.

The 2014 Show will be held July 25 – 27 in the TSB Bank Arena, Queens Wharf on the Wellington waterfront with a Gala Evening held on Thursday, 24 July.

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.

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:

NZ Art Show Emerging Artist Awards

• Four cash prizes of $2,500 each. The NZAAT Emerging Artist 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 2014.

 Signature Piece Art Award

• A premiere cash prize of $5,000 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 2014 with the winner decided by public vote: all visitors to the Show can vote for their favourite.

The NZ Art Show is governed by the New Zealand Affordable Art Trust (NZAAT). 

Its 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 non-profit charitable organisation the NZAAT is a significant contributor to the NZ community with many people benefiting from NZAAT operations and activities: since its inception in 2004 nearly 85,000 people have enjoyed the art event, nearly $7million has been returned to artists via art sales and around $60,000 in art prizes has been awarded to artists.

The NZAAT receives no government funding. All the costs of running the Show, the online gallery and funding the Awards are covered by sponsorship, grants, art sales, admission and donations.

The NZAAT is a registered charity under the Charities Act 2005 (# CC28710)

12:31PM Monday, 03 February, 2014