Judge calls for wider audience for ‘exceptional art’

Judge calls for wider audience for ‘exceptional art’

WORLD fashion head Denise L’Estrange-Corbet wants a wider audience for what she describes as exceptional art submitted in this year’s IHC Art Awards.

Denise L’Estrange-Corbet judged the second round of the IHC Art Awards at Arts on High Gallery in Lower Hutt today (Monday 13 July).

“The painting, pottery and craft is exceptional. The artists really do deserve to have at least one piece of their work in every home or workplace in New Zealand – it just brightens your whole day,” she said.

This year, the central region competition was dominated by artists from the Gisborne-Hawkes Bay regions. They captured seven of the 10 finalists’ places.

The finalists are: Clayton Guthrie (Taradale), Christopher Herbison (Hastings), Richard Jardine (Clive), Philip Sisam (Clive), John Wrightson (Clive), Kathleen Nukunuku (Gisborne), Keitha Taylor (Gisborne), Daniel Clark (Masterton), Kirstina Forrest (Lower Hutt), Trevor Nye (Palmerston North).

Three of the artists were also highly commended: Clayton Guthrie, Richard Jardine and Trevor Nye.

Denise is judging this year’s Art Awards with musician and jewellery artist Boh Runga and graphic novelist Dylan Horrocks.

Three regional exhibitions make up the national competition. Boh Runga has already selected 10 finalists from the upper North Island, and Dylan Horrocks will choose his top 10 from among the South Island entrants in Dunedin on 29 July.

All three judges will choose the first, second and third prize-winners from these 30 finalists and the winners announced at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Thursday 27 August. The overall winner receives $5000, runner-up $2000 and third-place getter $1000. A further prize – the People’s Choice Award – will be determined by Facebook voting during August.

All the finalists’ work will be auctioned on Awards night, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the artists.

See the exhibition:

Arts on High, 191 High Street, Lower Hutt, from 14–24 July.

ENDS

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