Macro Asia Exhibition at Wellington Arts Centre Gallery

from www.scoop.co.nz

Macro Asia: a photographic exhibition by Aaron Beck
Opens at Wellington Arts Centre Gallery on 30 June

Wellington's new arts centre will formally open in late July, but things are already abuzz in the Abel Smith Street location. Local photographer Aaron Beck will install a new exhibition, Macro Asia, in the arts centre gallery in late June. The show, which will be on view from June 30 to July 16, includes twenty of the artist's exquisite images.

"They are all what I call alternate scenes and portraits," said Beck, who shot the pictures while travelling in Southeast Asia and China in 2004. Beck's photographs have been printed to 12 x 18 inch size and block mounted on solid panels. "These are intimate studies of insects, people, and places in Asia, and are my attempt to capture something special about their character and personality."

One of Beck's latest projects was shooting all the macro-photography motion picture work for the new Shihad music video, "All the Young Fascists," currently airing in New Zealand and Australia.

"I also produced animated effects for that using a scanning electron microscope from Victoria University, and worked closely with the main producer, Mark Albiston and Sticky Pictures," he said. The result is a most unusual video in a sea of more mundane and banal music video offerings.
It was a visit to the Sticky Pictures office, now located on the top floor of the Wellington Arts Centre, that solidified the idea for Beck's first solo gallery exhibition.

"I got my first camera in early 2004, and have been building up a body of work and experimenting in extreme close-up photography ever since," said Beck. "When I saw the new arts centre and gallery space, I thought it would be an ideal setting for this collection of my recent work."

Beck, already an established illustrator and graphic artist, sees unlimited potential in his new craft. To establish the right technique, the artist modifies his photographic hardware, adapts lenses, and engineers new lighting effects.

"He's what you might call super-creative," said Wellington City Council community arts co-ordinator Eric Holowacz, "always in search of new approaches, interesting subjects, and innovative ways to express the world. Aaron represents the next generation of Wellington artists who will shape and advance New Zealand culture."

One of the primary objectives of the new arts centre is to support young and emerging artists in Wellington. The facility's 28 studios are already populated by creative people and contemporary artists, and many of the workshops and meeting rooms have been booked out by creative organisations.

Besides being young, creative, and ambitious, Beck is also a humanitarian at heart. Proceeds from the gallery sales will go to support disaster relief and charities working in Southeast Asia.

"I left Thailand four days before the tsunami, and it would mean a lot to me to give something back to all of those inspiring people and places," said Beck, "especially after such a massive tragedy."

Other local businesses who have supported Beck, his exhibition, and relief mission are Wellington Photographic Supplies, The Package, Printlink, Imagelab, Big Image Print, RadioActive, and Wellington City Council.

The public is invited to the exhibition opening of MacroAsia by Aaron Beck on 30 June from 6 to 8pm. The reception will be hosted by local hip-hop visionary and musician Imon Star. The exhibition will be on view at the new Wellington Arts Centre through 16 July.

The first stage of the new Wellington Arts Centre was opened this past April at 61 Abel Smith Street. The entire facility, comprising two former Board of Education buildings in the Te Aro neighbourhood, will be fully completed in late July. The arts centre will comprise a gallery, 28 artist studios, rehearsal and music rooms, darkroom, project room, and offices for some of New Zealand's leading arts organisations and cultural producers. Contact the arts centre office on 04-385-1929 or arts@wcc.govt.nz.

Wellington's New house of Art Opens its Doors

frm Huamnites Research Network
Humanities Society of New Zealand


A report on the history and progress of the Wellington City Council's new Arts Centre.

The first phase of Wellington’s new arts centre is now up and running, and the creative population is growing. The facility is located in two buildings at 61-69 Abel Smith Street, with programming, studio spaces, rehearsal rooms, and other resources available from May 2005 onward. 

Contractors are finishing up the first stages of interior refit, several film production concerns have already relocated to the administrative spaces, over thirty studio artists have been selected, and new creative projects and ideas are already buzzing about the place. Among the newly relocated cultural concerns are Dance Aotearoa New Zealand, Barbarian Productions, Taki Rua Productions, Blue room Studio, and Sticky Pictures.

"It's such an exciting step to be making," said Wellington Arts Advisor Eric Holowacz, who will be moving offices from the existing arts centre in the Oriental Bay Rotunda to the new two-building facility in Abel Smith Street. "There will be seven floors of space, with an emphasis on creative production and arts practice, as well as a diversity of ideas, disciplines, and developments in every corner." Wellington City Council has spent the past two years talking to the creative community, building the policy and budget support, studying the trends of local cultural production, and trying to put the right pieces together for a bold new arts space. 

Yet the effort to provide a creative nucleus for Wellington arts and culture has its origins 24 years ago: over the past three decades, the Wellington Arts Centre has been home to a multitude of creative activities, courses, workshops, meetings, and resources.

In 1981, the Wellington Community Arts Council and Wellington City Council Parks and Recreation Department formed the Wellington Arts Centre Trust to develop new arts projects and take advantage of the government PEP employment scheme for artists. The Trust, which was known to the community as Wellington Arts Centre, was housed at 335 Willis Street in the Dransfield House. It’s mission was to integrate creative people and projects into the daily life of the capital city. One early attempt was the now highly popular Summer City programme, which became a novel way to employ local artists and performers. Summer City was eventually taken over by the Council, and has since been managed by the Special Events Team. Ian Galloway, then director of Parks and Recreation, was also a founding trustee of the Wellington Arts Centre Trust. He was succeeded at Parks and Recreation by Richard Nanson, who played a key role in the growth and development of the arts centre.

In 1988 Neal Palmer, a community arts programmer originally from London, became manager of the Wellington Arts Centre. He established a number of outreach programmes and special projects, including classes in visual arts, theatre, dance, and music. Palmer also developed holiday programmes, video oral history projects, a children's film festival, a storytellers celebration, and the young people's arts festival now known as Artsplash (currently in its 17th year). In 1990, Richard Nanson brought the Wellington Arts Centre and Palmer under Council management, and relocated the facility to the Oriental Bay Rotunda.

From that small harbour-side site, the Wellington Arts Centre was able to offer meetings rooms, art workshops areas, desk space, a photographic darkroom, storage, and other facilities for independent groups, tutors, and organisations. Then, as now, it remained open for use by anyone and any creative project or workshop. Regular users have included Wellington Folk Music Club, Life Drawing Groups, Wellington Photographic Society, Cantiamo con Gioia Choir, Wellington Embroiderers Guild, Young & Hungry Youth Theatre, Wellington International Jazz Festival, Inspiring Artist Project, Laugh Festival, Storytellers Café, and a host of tutors and course instructors.

Throughout its history, the Wellington Arts Centre has also been home to regular yoga instructors, musical babies/tots sessions, music classes, film screenings, rehearsals and performances. The facility also included 11 display screens to loan for local exhibitions, a low-cost darkroom in partnership with the Wellington Photographic Society, and desk space for emerging arts organisations and festivals.

As the 21st century rolled around, and Wellington’s creative community continued to grow, the City Council began thinking about a larger, more diverse and dynamic complex. Extensive consultation and two years of research followed. This incubation period involved comments and meetings with thousands of creative people and organisations. The plan for a new arts centre was presented and endorsed by the Economy & Arts Committee in June 2004, and incorporated into the 2005/06 Annual Plan. After investigating several sites and buildings, a location was found and leased near Upper Cuba Street. Interior renovations began in early 2005.

In April 2005, the first phase of the new Wellington Arts Centre opened at 61-69 Abel Smith Street. This facility, in keeping with the previous and historical intentions of providing spaces, venues, and resources for everyone in the local creative community, now offers classrooms for hire, an exhibition space, a project room, several meeting/rehearsal rooms, administrative offices, a darkroom, and a staffed reception/lobby. These spaces are available to hire by individuals, organisations, clubs, tutors, speakers, and anyone involved in Wellingtons arts community. On-going activities offered by independent users include two dozen visual art courses and workshops, a choral development programme for young people, gallery exhibitions, weekly activities (life drawing, yoga, musical babies), monthly meetings or public events (Storytellers Café, Folk Music Club, Wellington Photographic Society lectures), and one-off uses.

"By my reckoning, it has come together nicely," remarked Holowacz, "but in a way that will place the focus on the creative people working and collaborating there and in our city. The sculptors, film-makers, writers, producers, guitarists, and arts managers will be the ones energising and shaping the centre, once the physical facility is fully refurbished and populated (expected in July 2005). Even after July, the approach will be to let new ideas come about organically, to shed under-utilised skin, and always adapt to cultural and creative needs ever-after."

An outline of some of the initial resources to be offered follows. Those interested in any of these, as well as those seeking arts programmes and services in Wellington, should contact Eric Holowacz on 385-1929 or arts@wcc.govt.nz. The centre is always open to proposals and enquiries from anyone, individual or organisation, seeking to hire a space, connect with creative people, expand or develop ideas, or utilise the on-site arts centre resources.

STUDIOS
The new arts centre will contain 28 artist studio spaces on two floors, with rents beginning at $50/week (gst and utilities included). Deadline to apply for a studio is April 11, and the selection will be guided by an advisory panel. The emphasis of studios will be to support emerging and early-career artists, working in any medium or discipline. However, all applications and levels will be considered. Studios will be offered for up to two years. The Studio floors also include a wet/clean up area, common room, kitchen facility, and photographic darkroom.

COMMUNITY ARTS FACILITIES
The new arts centre will house a complex of meeting and workshops rooms, designed for community art courses, instruction, lectures, and group assemblies. Existing term courses and arts activities, currently offered at the Oriental Bay Rotunda location, will be transferred to the new centre in late April. Those interested in offering creative workshops or classes, from beginner to advanced specialist, should contact the new arts centre for details.

OFFICE AND PROJECT SPACE
The new facility will also provide a home to small and large cultural organisations, event managers, and arts-based producers. Permanent administrative space, presently being assigned, ranges from one-room offices to larger office clusters or open plan suites. Information for prospective tenants is now available. For seasonal or variable-staffed organisations, the centre will also offer a separate project space with hot desks and work stations that can be booked for casual, short-term, and seasonal use.

REHEARSAL SPACES
The centre will also comprise a performance/rehearsal space with a seating capacity of 50-75, a studio-sized performance rehearsal space, storage for props and gear, and three sound-proofed music rooms. All of these will be hired hourly, and can be booked from mid April on.

EXHIBITION SPACE
The arts centre lobby will open to a dedicated exhibition space. This gallery will focus on the artists working within the centre, as well as exhibitions proposed by emerging curators, local and national visual arts organisations, and partner events. An application framework will be developed in late April, and expressions of interest for the May-July exhibitions can be made at any time.

NETWORKING AND ADVANCEMENT
The arts centre's periodic email alert, The No.8 Wire, began last year as an attempt to regularly connect a short list of creative people in Wellington. It has grown to include over 750 email contacts, who receive, contribute to, and (hopefully) take advantage of the arts opportunities highlighted in each issue. Content comprises 30 or 40 items of note, a transcribed interview with a Wellington creative person, links to informative articles in other journals or websites, quotes, and details about funding, jobs, commissions, and collaborations. This week marks the 30th edition of Wellington's No.8 Wire. To request one in your in-box, send an email to arts@wcc.govt.nz and ask to be added.

If you're in the Te Aro/Cuba Street neighbourhood, stop by Wellington's new house of art. The facility is at 61-69 Abel Smith Street (former Board of Education buildings in back of Real Groovy Records), between Cuba and Victoria Streets. The centre is always open to proposals and enquiries from anyone, individual or organisation, seeking to hire a space, connect with creative people, expand or develop ideas, or utilise the on-site arts centre resources. Please join us, and thank you for being creative in Wellington.