NZ Affordable Art Trust's New Awards for Emerging Artists

30 April 2012

New Zealand Affordable Art Trust Establishes New Awards for Emerging Artists

Wellington: The New Zealand Affordable Art Trust (NZAAT) last night announced that it has established four new awards for this country’s emerging artists. The New Zealand Art Show’s executive director Carla Russell announced these new awards at an event to launch the 2012 Show at the Museum Art Hotel.

These new awards seek to recognise and reward emerging New Zealand artists and each winner will receive $3,000. The recipients will be selected by the country’s leading tertiary schools of art: Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland; Massey University’s School of Arts, Wellington; the University of Canterbury’s School of Fine Arts, Christchurch; and Otago Polytechnic’s School of Art, Dunedin.

Carla Russell said, “The selection of each award winner will be made by the faculty of each institution. The NZAAT and the New Zealand Art Show thought it best to have a ‘hands-off’ approach and leave the criteria and the selection over to those who nurture and train our emerging artists.”

In addition to receiving $3,000 each, the four winners may exhibit up to three works each at the annual New Zealand Art Show.

The 2012 NZAAT Emerging Artist Awards were made possible through the generosity of a New Zealand Art Show patron and NZAAT trustee, Wellingtonian Richard Nelson.

“We are fortunate that Richard, an avid art collector and patron of the New Zealand Art Show, donated $12,000 so the NZAAT could establish these awards. His generosity has enabled us to recognise and support creative emerging artists. It will help us build the relationship between the NZAAT and the School of Arts faculties that we trust will lead to ongoing collaboration. In future years, the NZAAT intends seeking donations from individuals and organisations to ensure these awards become an integral part of the New Zealand Art Show,” said Carla Russell.

This year’s New Zealand Art Show runs from Friday, 3 August to Sunday, 5 August in Wellington’s TSB Bank Arena on Queens Wharf.

About the New Zealand Art Show

The New Zealand Art Show is an annual three-day art exhibition held each year in Wellington’s Events Centre on Queens Wharf. This year’s show will run from Friday, 3 August to Sunday, 5 August 2012.

Established in 2004 as the New Zealand Affordable Art Show, the last eight years has seen the event grow in size, reputation and quality. The exhibition showcases 3,000+ artworks by more than 400 artists; it is the largest art exhibition in this country. Since its inception, it has sold around $6 million worth of art, returning over $5 million back to artists – making the show a significant contributor to New Zealand’s arts community.

A gala evening is held on the eve of the show’s opening to the public (Thursday 2 August).
All tickets can be purchased through www.artshow.co.nz

The New Zealand Art Show is governed by the New Zealand Affordable Art Trust (NZAAT). Its vision is to promote New Zealand artists and help them access resources and opportunities to further their development, and to promote the appreciation of New Zealand art to the wider public.
The NZAAT is a registered charity (# CC28710) under the Charities Act 2005.

ENDS

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