Latest News

An area which is often regarded as sacrosanct and private will be opened up to the public over the upcoming Easter Weekend.  The personal world of the working artist’s studio is to be revealed to visitors over the Saturday and Sunday of Easter thanks to a new initiative from the Central Otago District Arts Trust.

The ‘Artist Open Studio Weekend’ is a Central Otago-wide event which will feature over 40 artisans who will open up their workspaces to the public.   Organisers hope that people will take the time to visit all of the artists taking part at some stage during the 7th and 8th April.

“What a fantastic way to spend your Easter weekend,” says Arts Coordinator Maxine Williams. Ms Williams says she has been extremely busy gathering in all the information about the artists and their workspaces and loading it onto the Central Otago Arts website where a new Arts Trail page, dedicated to the event, has been created.

“People can either utilise the website for information or pick up a brochure with maps and details about the artists, from any Central Otago I-Site to devise their own self-drive tour.”

Ms Williams say the response from the creative community in Central Otago has been amazing and a huge credit to the artists of the region.

“We are so privileged. For some artists this will be the first time they’ve ever had people in their working environment. When do you ever get an opportunity like this? -  to visit a selection of artists’ studios, to watch them at work, and you might even pick up a piece of art at a great price? It is also a chance for the artist to take their work to the next level and interact with the public. It’s a win-win for all,” says Ms Williams.

She says it’s a great way to see more of the countryside glowing in glorious autumn colours. “Why not get a little group of friends together and drive around Central’s back-roads to find the small towns with our hidden artisans and get an insight into what makes them tick.

“On the trail there are also cafes featuring artists at work as well as annual exhibitions.

Pub Charity and Creative Communities proudly supports The Central Otago District Arts Trust helping make the ‘Artist Open Studio Weekend’ event happen.

What we want to let you all know about is an Artists Open Studios Weekend CODAT planning in Central Otago for Easter 7 – 8 April 2012. This is a time when our region has its most visitors. Mainly Kiwis around these parts and often there is not a lot to do for our local tourists. I would like to know if any artists would to open up your work space to the public during this weekend. We plan to run it across Central Otago and maybe split into different areas, Raes Junction – Clyde,   Maniototo, Cromwell and Wanaka? This would all depend on your response of course.

Central Otago Art Society annual Easter exhibition is on in Clyde and the Wine and Foods Festival is on Easter Sunday which brings many people to the region. Maniototo has an Easter Market along with Bards, Ballads and Bulldust Festival in Nasby.  Easter is the time of the annual Exhibition of the Cromwell Combined Society of Arts & Crafts and Warbirds over Wanaka is on too. We hope to do some cross promotions with galleries, exhibitions as well as businesses like wineries, eating and accommodation establishments and maybe even real estate open homes. Any business that aligns with the arts could be involved

Essentially, it will be structured and we plan to publish a Central Otago Studio Tour Guide with maps and directions.  We will advertise it well and provide downloadable information printouts from the website. I’m guessing a few of you might be thinking heck I don’t want anyone coming into my mess but It doesn’t really matter if you work from your kitchen table or a bedroom; people love to engage with people. If they can meet you and glean a bit more about whom you are, why and how you do what you do, there is a much higher opportunity to get a sale. This could be a chance to get all your old work out from under the beds and in the closet, reduce the price by fifty percent to move it on to a better place.

One of our core beliefs and expectations about Open Studio Weekend is that being in the studio environment educates visitors about the working life of an artist. Hopefully you all can see the potential benefits of this initiative. Please let me know your thoughts and if you are interested or if you aren't sure what to do, give me a call. A least this gives you enough time to plan something.

We're excited to be embarking on this new project and see it as a prerequisite to the Central Otago Arts trail.  We look forward to working with you to make it happen. As always, events like this require a lot of volunteer hours but these are often rewarded with camaraderie. We hope you'll give this a try!

For more information contact Maxine on 022 4626328