2009 Clark Collection/Creative New Zealand Scholarship

Applications are invited for the 2009 Clark Collection / Creative New Zealand Scholarship.

This scholarship is a remarkable opportunity for mid-career arts, heritage and decorative arts professionals to expand their (and New Zealand’s) knowledge of built-heritage and decorative arts. The Clark Collection / Creative NZ Scholarship enables one New Zealander to attend the prestigious Attingham Trust Summer School in England and participate in its exclusive three-week study course.

For more details, contact creativeeastbay@xtra.co.nz

Entry Forms Available for $10,000 Art Award

Entry forms are now available for the 2009 Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award for painting and drawing. 

Entry forms must be returned by 5pm Monday 12 January 2009 and are available by contacting The Coordinator at abccommunications@xtra.co.nz.

Applications open for UNSCO art bursaries

Applications are now being called for the 2009 UNESCO-Aschberg Bursaries for Artists.  The bursaries are in the areas of creative writing, visual arts and music and aim to foster creativity and cultural diversity by presenting young artists with the opportunity to sojourn in arts residences abroad.

Waiariki aligns with Whitecliffe

Waiariki Institute of Technology has aligned its art and design qualifications with Auckland’s prestigious college, Whitecliffe, to make a Bachelor of Fine Arts available to Bay of Plenty students.

From 2009 onwards students will be able to study the final year of Whitecliffe’s BFA on Waiariki’s Rotorua campus and Waiariki’s diploma courses will position students well to be able to apply for that final degree year.

Whitecliffe is holding an information session at the Waiariki campus on Tuesday 14 October.  Contact Eugene Kara on 07 346 8963 for details.

Rain of the Children - Eastern Bay gets it first

Whakatane's Cinema 5 begins a special four-day screening of the acclaimed Vincent Ward film Rain of Children today.  Five screenings a day until 14 September are scheduled and people are advised to pre-book tickets as some shows are already sold out.

In this film, Ward explores the life story of an elderly Māori woman of the Tuhoe iwi , Puhi, and her mentally ill adult son, Niki. This story has been masterfully told by Ward, who lived with Puhi and Niki over a two year period. Ward provides us with glimpses of the Tuhoe people, their history, their communities, their prophet, Rua Kenana, and their spirituality

Molly Morpeth Canaday 3D Awards

The Winners of the 2008 Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award were announced in Whakatane on Saturday 23 August.  Congratulations to Overall Winner ($5000) Lee Brogan for her two-piece construction -Bombora in Pate de verre. An image of the work illustrates the event listing on this website.

The awards selector and judge, Claire Regnault, commented “Fragile and powerful, both grunty and refined, Lee’s work was completely unexpected. As the award demands, it is innovative and progressive.”

The Creative Excellence Award ($1000) went to Layla Walter for Kokako an emgraved vessel in 45% lead crystal, cast glass. Judges’s comment: “A beautifully refined and elegant piece imbued with poignancy.”

The Molly Morpeth 3D exhibition runs through until 28 September at the Whakatane District Museum Gallery.

WDCAC AGM

The Whakatane District Community Arts Council AGM, on Wednesday 20 August, is an opportunity to hear from artist, arts educator and (arts activist) Anne Philbin.

Anne, who is Academic Programme Leader at the Visual Arts School at Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi will speak about “C is for Community, the force behind the Arts”. Anne will draw on her experience in the communities of Porirua and Whangarei and the community efforts to secure quality artspace and look at how that upgraded the community’s profile in the Arts.



The Annual General Meeting is an opportunity for interested people from within the Whakatane District to find out about the CAC's activities and to join the Arts Council committee for the next 12 months.

Be There - or be Brassed Off!

Theatre Whakatane is holding a pre-audition night this Friday (15 August) for its November production of Brassed Off.  Evening starts 7pm at the East Bay Brass-band Rooms in Commerce Street, Whakatane.

Auditions will be held Friday 29 August (6-10pm) and Saturday 30 August (9am - 12noon).

Missionaries in Tuhoeland

Complementing the Whakatane District Museum & Gallery's successful Hihita & Hoani: Missionaries in Tuhoeland exhibition, a floortalk by Rev. Wayne Te Kaawa is being held this Friday (15 August) at 3.00pm.

As this is the closing day of the exhibition, poroporoaki (farewell) will be held following Rev. Te Kaawa's talk.

Eastern Bay of Plenty Brass Needs Your Support

Calling all G & S Fans

A once-in-a-lifetime-this-year chance to see the best-singers-in-the-world-in-Opotiki put on an amazingly-wonderfully-freakishly-pretty-good concert of Gilbert and Sullivan works!

A brilliant cast of local singers including former-mayor Don Riesterer, Malcolm Ballard, general practitioner Joe Scott-Jones and award-winning journalist Kat Walsh have been working for months to prepare the concert and it's sounding spectacular.

On the bill is a full recital of G&S's first collaboration, the operetta Trial By Jury, as well as a host of solos from other G&S operas, including The Pirate King, A Wand'ring Minstrel, and Poor Wand'ring One.

The Concert is billed for Saturday July 26 at 7:30pm, at the De Luxe Theatre in Opotiki, and tickets cost just $5 with all proceeds going to the local SPCA. Tickets available from the travel shop in Opotiki, or by contacting Kat Walsh, 07 315 6106.

All about Clocks

Debut exhibition for Ward

The Rostcard Cafe, in Opotiki's King Street, is hosting an exhibition of works by Ohope painter Grant Ward.  The impressive body of work features almost 40 works and will be on display until the end of May.

For more information about Ward and to view examples of the Luna abc series, check out his Creative Eastbay webpage.

Tremendous response to LIVE:Art

Creative Eastbay's inaugural LIVE:Art event, held at Puawairua Marae 3 & 4 May was a great success.

Thirty-seven Eastern Bay of Plenty artists took part, with the majority demonstrating their work to visiting members of the public.  Art disciplines represented included raranga, sculpture, painting, taa moko, ceramics and photography.

Members of the public were impressed with the range and quality of the work and also with the beautiful Puawairua environment.

LIVE:Art - Register NOW

Expressions of interest are called for from Eastern Bay artists who would like to exhibit, display, sell or demonstrate their work at the LIVE:Art Festival being held in Whakatane on 3 & 4 May.

Creative Eastbay coordinator Kay Boreham welcomes your enquire: creativeeastbay@xtra.co.nz

"This will be a great opportunity to meet fellow artists from throughout the region as well as market your work and build your profile."

Calling All Local Artists

Expressions of interest are urgently called for Eastern Bay-based artists who would like to exhibit or demonstrate at the LIVE:Art Festival to be held at Puawairua Marae, on 3 and 4 May 2008.

Contact Kay Boreham, creativeeastbay@xtra.co.nz for full details and registration form.

Help make music in Whakatane.

No "As You Like It" In the Open Air

This year's Summer Arts Shakespeare in the Park event has now been cancelled.  Oganisers had been working hard on rescheduling the event, which was postponed on Saturday (9 February) because of an injury to one of the key cast members.

Whakatane District Arts Council Chairman, Ross Boreham says it has proved impossible to find an alternate date where the troupe is available that doesn't clash with other events.  "So, very reluctantly, we have had to cancel this year's performance and we apologise for any inconvenience the postponement and now cancellation may have caused."

Shakespeare In The Park Postponed

Injury to a key cast member has forced the postponement of the Whakatane Summer Arts Festival Shakespeare in the Park performance scheduled for 9 February.

Arts Council spokesperson Jacqui Hughes says attempts will be made to re-schedule what is a popular event. 

Once a new date has been established, information will be made available through the local media and on the events section of this website.

Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award for painting & drawing

Ross Hemara, Associate Professor in the School of Visual and Material Culture, Massey University judged the 2008 Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award for painting and drawing.

Mr Hemara selected 66 works from over 280 entries, judging Kereama Taepa's work "Baby Girl" the Open Winner and awarding Taepa a cheque for $10,000 from major sponsors the Molly Morpeth Canaday Trust.

Dowload a copy of Mr Hemara's speech here.

Summer Arts Celebrates 25 years

The programme detailing events in the 25th Whakatane Summer Arts Festival will soon be available at Eastern Bay of Plenty information centres, libraries, cafes and other gathering places . . .  or you can download it here.

Artist in Residency opportunity

Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award

There is still time to enter the 2008 Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award for painting and drawing.

In this 25th Anniverary year of the award the top prize has doubled to $10,000; Highly Commended $2,000 and the various category prizes also increasing to $500.

Entry forms are available from:

The Coordinator, C/- PO Box 2021, Kopeopeo, Whakatane, or an email version is available by emailing: hague_art@hotmail.com; or use the Contact us facility on this website.

New Works to View

Terracotta Sculpture Weekend

Whakatane High School's Adult and Community Education Programme is offering a Terraccotta Sculpture workshop  tutored by Kay Phillips.  Contact Whakatane High School's ACE coordinator before noon on Tuesday 27 November to register.

The weekend workshop will be held Saturday and Sunday 1 & 2 December and caters for the "complete novice" as well as people who have some experience of working with clay.

Spaces are limited to 10, so get in early.

Only 35 day to christmas!

Billed as a "pre-Christmas clear-out" of perfect and "not so perfect" works by local artists, the Slightly Skewed Art-In-The-Garden sale will be an opportunity to find a gift for that hard to buy for friend or relly.

Get along to 51c James Street, Whakatane between 10.30am and 1.00pm.  Works include ceramics by Kay Phillips, Shelly Anderson's weaving and fabric Manaia creations and a few other surprises.

Whakatane Town Vision - Have your say

Creating an Arts and Cultural Heart for the town centre is a key theme of the Whakatane Town Vision Draft Plan recently released by the Whakatane District Council.

Options include a new library, museum and gallery in an "Arts and Culture Street".

Anyone with an interest in the arts and culture sector should seize this opportunity to have input into this exciting future planning.  Submissions the the draft plan close at 5.00pm Friday 30 November.  The Draft Plan and submission forms are available from the Whakatane Civic Centre.

Winners announced in 3D Award

The winners of the Molly Morpeth Canaday 3D Awards were announced in Whakatane at the exhibition opening held 6 October.

Overall winner:  Stephen Bradbourne (Micro-Macro-Cellular - Blown glass)

Aotearoa Award: Lyndon Over (Sunset Landscape - Handblown glass)

Creative Excellence: Christine Cathie (Slice - Cast lead crystal)

The exhibition continues at the Whakatane Museum Gallery until 4 November.

Opotiki Silent Film Festival

Opotiki is celebrating another highly successful Silent Film Festival.  Organiser Kate Adams said the weekend was a great success with many people thoroughly getting into the spirit of the event by dressing up in 20s and 30s gear.

Nosferatu was made all the more suspenseful thanks to wonderful piano accompaniment.

If you missed it this year - make sure to diary early September 2008.

New works to view

Four new artist pages have been added to the Creative Eastbay - Te Taurapa a Toi website today.

Check out Wainui multi-media artist Ben Christensen; Opotiki painter Lorna de Silva; Whakatane stoneworker Stewart Sutton; and Kawerau painter Heather Kennedy.

Updated images have also been added to fibre/floral artist Alice Dargaville's page; fibre artist Margaret Lafaele; Opotiki painter Shona Hammond-Boys; Whakatane graphic artist Sam Clark and photographer Troy Baker.

Boynton Releases New Work - Te Mahara

Jamie Boynton (Ngai Tuhoe/Te Whakatohea) has completed the second in his three-work series of exceptional glass carvings.

Twelve limited edition prints have been taken directly from the original glass carving Te Mahara (Consciousness).

Check out Jamie's Creative Eastbay webpage and his own website to view the work and for further details, including a fascinating whakamarama (explanation) of its meaning.

Creative Eastbay Celebrates Website Launch