Friday night marked the special opening of Ōpōtiki’s travelling art exhibition, The Real Ōpōtiki, at Goddard Arcade in Tauranga. There were crowds of people at the event, with several pieces of art sold during the evening.

Opotiki Councillor, Shone Browne, is on the organising committee for The Real Ōpōtiki and attended the opening event.

“As an Ōpōtiki local, I know that Ōpōtiki art is special. But it is fantastic to share that art with others and see that they love it as much as we do. We made a number of sales on Friday, including selling a beautiful handwoven kete to Holland Beckett for their offices. And we recorded almost 150 visitors on Saturday and more art was sold straight away. It has been a great start to the event – Tauranga locals seem to love it!” Ms Browne said.

The Real Opotiki is a collection of art from new and emerging artists with strong connections to the Opotiki District. The first exhibition was at Toi Tu Studio One in Auckland and Opotiki art is now touring the country and is currently on display in the Goddard Arcade.

Opotiki Councillor Lyn Riesterer is also on the committee that has brought the exhibition to Tauranga.

“It is a two-fold win for us as it showcases the talent of Opotiki and is also a fundraiser for Te Tahuhu o Te Rangi, the community space, research centre and library planned for the District. It is a unique chance to show off artworks to appeal to all tastes - traditional landscapes, sculpture, photography, jewellery, Maori Pihe Pihe and hand-woven kete,” Cr Riesterer said.

The exhibition is open from 12th – 20th November 2016 in the Goddard Arcade off Devonport Road.

“We are starting to consider ourselves a ‘travelling exhibition’ as we have invitations from other cities around New Zealand. The Real Opotiki is a great way to showcase our fantastic art and artists up and down the country and raise funds for a valuable community project at the same time,” Cr Riesterer said.

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