BNI NZ renews its commitment to the Auckland arts community

BNI NZ renews its commitment to the Auckland arts community with its support of the Titirangi Community Arts Council Emerging Artists Award

TITIRANGI, Auckland – Friday 5th August , 2016 – For the second year running, networking organisation BNI New Zealand is proud to be one of the major sponsors for the 2016 Titirangi Community Arts Council Emerging Artists Awards. These Awards have been running for eight years and were created for those who are still finding their 'art feet'. They give two fortunate artists a massive opportunity to further their careers through cash grants.

Sammy Milne Co-Manager for TCAC/Upstairs Art Gallery says the awards were developed to celebrate and expose our hidden Auckland talent to the world. “These awards give emerging artists a wonderful platform to show their work to the wider community,” she says. “It inspires them to continue working as artists – often it’s a major early milestone in their careers.”

Suzi Stevens Co-Manager for TCAC/Upstairs Art Gallery agrees saying the awards help artists by guiding them through a number of processes they will need to understand as they emerge: applications for awards, competitions, funding, exhibiting, advertising, building databases of buyers and galleries etc. “Having BNI’s support and the support from businesses in the community is unbelievable,” she says. “We’re a community gallery here for the community, much like BNI.”

Graham Southwell, National Director BNI New Zealand, says BNI’s philosophy of “Giver’s Gain” fits perfectly with the sponsorship of the $500 Emerging Arts Grant. “TCAC is reliant on the business community to support it and the gallery in turn supports and strengthens the businesses in its local community,” he says. “By giving back in this way BNI is supporting artists from across Auckland and enabling the enrichment of the local community through the arts.”

20 finalists are selected from photograph submissions. From those 20 finalists, two award recipients are chosen, one is given a cash grant of $1000 provided by board member David Whitley, plus an engraved (returnable) plaque, the other is given a $500 grant sponsored by BNI NZ.

This year’s judges are Naomi McCleary, an arts advocate for West Auckland who was Waitakere City Council’s first Arts Manager and the first recipient of an Outstanding Individual Contribution Award from Creative New Zealand for her services to the arts within local government. Other judges include Dianne Blomfield, the Executive Director of McCahon House and Bepan Bhana, the 2015/2016 McCahon House resident artist

In 2015 the $500 BNI NZ Arts Grant was presented to emerging artist Rebecca Annan.

Awards and prizes will be presented tonight at an evening Presentation and Opening Ceremony on Friday August 5th .

The exhibition of the 20 finalists’ works is open to the public for 24 days, daily 10am – 4pm. For more information visit the Upstairs Art Gallery Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UpstairsArt?fref=ts

ENDS

© Scoop Media