Grant boosts Sarjeant Gallery Artist in Residence Programme

29 June 2017

Creative New Zealand grant boosts Sarjeant Gallery Artist in Residence Programme

Whanganui’s Sarjeant Gallery is offering two residencies at its historic Tylee Cottage in the coming financial year thanks to a one-off $40,000 Arts Grant from Creative New Zealand.

Whanganui District Council supports the residency programme by offering the cottage rent free and covering electricity and phone charges for participating artists along with a modest living allowance. Curator and Public Programmes Manager, Greg Donson says the Creative New Zealand funding means each five month residency is now worth $20,000. He says the funding has given the programme a huge boost making it even more attractive to artists who can focus on their work in a stress free environment with living expenses taken care of.

The artist- in-residence programme at Tylee Cottage has seen more than 50 artists participate, including some of New Zealand’s leading artists, and last year celebrated its 30th anniversary.
The residencies are only open to New Zealanders living outside the Whanganui area, including New Zealand artists living overseas. One of the aims is for each artist to produce a new body of work that draws inspiration from the Whanganui region - its environment, history or culture. The work is subsequently exhibited by the gallery. At least one work produced by the artist is also gifted to the Sarjeant Gallery collection.

Mr Donson says as well as playing a vital role in the gallery’s exhibition programme, the unique artworks that have been gifted to the collection over the last 30 years have helped the Sarjeant develop its holdings of contemporary art.

The exhibition ‘The Horses Stayed Behind’ by 2015 resident Cat Auburn was awarded Best Exhibition for a Regional Museum – Art at the 2016 New Zealand Museum Awards and will be on tour for the next year.

Applications for the two upcoming residencies at Tylee Cottage – from September 2017 to January 2018 and from February 2018 to June 2018 – closed on June 19. A shortlist has been drawn up from the 34 applications and the gallery is due to publicly announce the names of the successful applicants in the coming week.

ENDS

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