Hawke's Bay art comes alive in October

Dali draws on any available surface in his unmistakable street art style. Join him for the Nuit blanche event and make your mark on the interior of CAN. Photo / Charlotte Anderson Photography

I spend the whole year looking forward to October; it seems to be the time when Hawke's Bay Arts comes alive, with the excitement of the Harcourt's Hawke's Bay Arts Festival, Nuit Blanche; Art After Dark (formerly White Night), the addition of the Hawke's Bay Art Trail at Labour Weekend this year and of course, a glimpse of Christmas on the horizon.

Creative Arts Napier (CAN) is fully involved in all of these activities and events.

Inside the doors you will find a wide range of Arts Festival exhibitions to indulge your senses, and on the evening of Nuit Blanche on Saturday , October 17, from 6pm, live music provided by Joey Coleman and Alex Luck from 'Lucked Up' right outside our front door.

Come along a little earlier at 5pm, and you can enjoy the opening celebration of Sean Duffell's long anticipated exhibition 'Skeletons of Society' and meet the artist himself.

Sean is well known around New Zealand for his stunning street art, but this exhibition will reveal a different facet of Sean's practice as he explores combining found artefacts with painting.

The results are intriguing, strangely beguiling and real conversation starters. All are welcome to join Sean and light refreshments will be served.

A little later, from 6pm, Nuit Blanche at CAN will come alive with street artist Dali Susanto in residence, painting a 10m metre long mural on a wall in the workshop area. See him at work, and join in the creative fun as Dali transforms the interior with his dynamic and unmistakable drawings.

Help him colour in the mural for a small donation, and maybe he will adorn your arms and legs to match! This is a great activity for the whole family, generously supported by Napier's Creative Communities Scheme.

Stroll through to the Main Gallery for yet another art experience, and soak in the 50 selected works by Hawke's Bay artists in 'CANdid-50' which opened with a bang last Friday.

CAN's guest selector, Roy Dunningham had his work cut out in selecting just 50 pieces from the 117 entries, six of which were awarded with 'Highly Commended'.

Take your time to choose your favourite piece, and cast your vote. The winning 'People's Choice' artist will receive a complimentary CAN gallery space to exhibit their work in 2021.

If you have been thinking of updating the art pieces in your home, now is the ideal time. This year has brought about some challenges for the arts sector, and has noticeably affected the income of the region's talented artists.

After the Covid Lockdown was over in May, and everyone emerged from their cocoons, CAN held an exhibition in June to showcase the work that the enforced studio time had brought about. This exhibition was a great success, not only in terms of participation and the number of pieces on display but also with visitor numbers and sales.
This support from artists and the community, and the direct connections that were made between artists and buyers reinforced and validated the function and value of community arts.

CAN operates at a grassroots level, providing accessibility to the arts, not only for all visitors but by providing affordable space for exhibitors too. What it proved to CAN, was that an important part of our role is to connect the dots and act as a conduit to facilitate these interactions between artists and art appreciators.

So, come and see what these talented people have been up to. Art is all important for our wellbeing, whether you make it, or appreciate it. And if you appreciate it, show how much by taking a piece home with you.

This simple act is a fantastic way to show your support. As the selector Roy Dunningham once said 'The best way to compliment an artist is to get your credit card out'.

Talking of support, the services offered at CAN could not operate without the support of our community.

The CAN annual meeting is fast approaching, and will be held at CAN on Monday, October 19 at 5.30pm.

Come along and learn more about your Community Arts Centre, and how it is governed and managed on a daily basis. Enjoy an interesting presentation on the importance of community art spaces by our guest speaker Roy Dunningham.

If you join as a Friend of CAN beforehand, you can have your say and vote for the 2021 CAN Board.

Membership is only $25 a year and you can join by paying online: email bookings@thecan.co.nz for details or find the application form at the front desk of CAN. (Membership offers other benefits too, such as a Gordon Harris discount online).

Nomination forms for members of the board can be downloaded from the CAN website: www.thecan.co.nz. All are warmly welcomed to attend the AGM and light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP for numbers, to bookings@thecan.co.nz.

Also, don't forget there is a host of new creative evening classes and weekend workshops to sign up for at CAN in Term 4, and looking ahead why not join us as a 'craftisan' in the Christmas Makers Market, and sell your quality handcrafted products. Check out the CAN website under 'What's Coming Up' for news.

Arts Focus will be back in two weeks to remind you about the Hawke's Bay Art Trail, where you can visit Hawke's Bay open studios for Labour weekend. Keep an eye out on Facebook and Instagram to find out more.

■ Lisa Feyen is the general manager for Creative Arts Napier (CAN), 16 Byron St. CAN is open seven days a week from Monday to Saturday, 10am-4pm and Sunday, 10am-2pm. Free entry. Info: 835-9448, thecan.co.nz or Facebook.