Young @ Art moves to new exhibition space
The judges this year were, from left, Kare Grayson, Janine Scott-Dickins, Phoebe Zeller and Pip Bowker-Napp. Photo: Supplied.
Young @ Art, the younger offspring of Bay Art, has grown up and left home.
Now in its second year, Young@Art has made the most of the points of difference between itself and the older event by mounting its own exhibition in the Takaka Primary School hall.
Co-organisers Rita Scholten and Elvira Pontier-van der Waay have created an event that is clearly meeting the needs of lots of the Bay’s creative young people.
“Young@Art is different from Bay Art, said Rita. “We don’t run it as a competition, the artists get feedback, encouragement and suggestions from the judges. They also get a sweet treat. Our people’s choice happens differently too. Each viewer has the chance to nominate three works and the eight most popular pieces will be on display for a month at the Golden Bay Medical Centre when the exhibition here finishes. We’re also sending two of the works selected by viewers to represent the Bay in the Queen Charlotte Sound exhibition in Blenheim.”
Artists as young as four entered and exhibited their work alongside their older peers up to 16 years old. The range of media and approaches is truly impressive. The young artists’ lack of inhibition is obvious but so too is their understanding of the limitations and possibilities presented by their chosen medium. The thoughtfully-arranged exhibition contains works that have charmed and impressed the viewers who have made their way to it, said Rita.
Several works have sold which must be a great encouragement to the artists.
Rita says that the art event is growing in popularity and she and Elvira are considering further changes and developments to the format.
“Having our own venue gives us freedom to grow. We will expand again next year.”
Neil Wilson
