NZ Arts Awards: Win gives Cliff Curtis a shot of 'creative energy'

Cliff Curtis as Genesis Potini in Kiwi film The Dark Horse.

New Zealand actor Cliff Curtis says receiving an art award has given him a shot of "creative energy".

The Westpac New Zealand Arts Awards were held at Auckland's SkyCity Theatre tonight.

The annual event, launched by the Arts Foundation in 2011 as a national celebration of the arts, features up to 10 or more awards for artists from across a range of disciplines including literature, music, visual arts, dance, film and theatre.

About $400,000 is donated to award recipients each year to use towards their craft. Past recipients include acclaimed author Eleanor Catton and visual artist Shane Cotton.

Curtis was a recipient of this year's Laureate Award, which is presented to five artists annually.

Each Laureate Award recipient was given $50,000 in recognition of their achievements and as a challenge for them to continue working at high levels.

"This award has given me such a shot of creative energy. I am in full flow setting up new projects," he said.

"The award is going to be expressed through my work as a collaborator serving others to tell stories of significance and purpose through the medium of moving light pictures."

Also among this year's winners was Professor Jack Richards, who won the Award for Patronage.

The award allows him to make four donations of $10,000, made up of $20,000 from the Arts Foundation and $20,000 he donated personally.

The donations were made to the Gisborne International Music Competition, EIT Tairawhiti for students in the Maori Arts Programme, Te Tairawhiti Museum, and a book project in honour of Arts Foundation Laureate and composer Jack Body.

All money given to recipients came from donations made by Arts Foundation patrons. Recipients of each year's awards are chosen by a small panel without application.

Since the foundation was established, over $4.8 million in cash donations have been made to 167 New Zealand artists.

2014 WESTPAC ART AWARD RECIPIENTS

Laureate Award recipients:

Actor and producer -- Cliff Curtis (Film)

Multi-disciplinary artist -- Lisa Reihana (Visual Arts)

Poet -- Geoff Cochrane (Literature)

Composer -- Ross Harris (Music)

Choreographer and director -- Charles Koroneho (Dance)

New Generation Award recipients:

Composer, performer and producer -- Dudley Benson (Music)

Painter -- Star Gossage (Visual Arts)

Actor and director duo -- Vela Manusaute and Anapela Polataivao (Theatre)

Harriet Friedlander Residency recipient:

Choreographer, dancer and video artist -- Louise Potiki Bryant (Dance)

Award for Patronage donation recipients:

Gisborne International Music Competition

EIT Tairawhiti for students in the Maori Arts Programme

Te Tairawhiti Museum

A book project in honour of Arts Foundation Laureate and composer, Jack Bod