Creative Northland is a finalist in the New Zealand Events Association Awards 2018 for its free, fun, family-friendly, annual community arts event, ArtBeat.
The Northland arts backing body will learn after a public voting exercise in February whether it has won the Best Community Event 2018 in the Excellence Awards.
It is the first time Creative Northland has been named a finalist.
While small community events and organisers get a look in, categories in the Awards include professional project managers and companies, big-stake sponsors and international NZ-based events.
As an example of the high profile of many finalists, across the nine award category finalists are Pop-up Globe, Matariki Festival 2018 (Auckland), Māoriland Festival, TRENZ, NZ International Science Festival, Warbirds over Wanaka International Airshow and HSBC Sevens.
We know how popular Whangārei's ArtBeat has been over its 22 years, but what else does Creative Northland do, what is it? The Advocate asked Creative Northland's general manager Hinurewa te Hau. (Some of the answers have been abridged).
How would you describe Creative Northland's kaupapa?
Creative Northland has an ongoing commitment to making sure the arts sector in Northland is dynamic, thriving, influential and productive. We are an arts advocate with government, councils and organisations, business, educational institutions and the public. We run events and upskilling workshops in marketing and funding for creatives, support local community to run events and exhibitions, and help bring productions to Whangārei and surrounds. We are very interested in creating a creative pathway for youth, and support educational institutions and opportunities for hands-on skills and youth finding a creative voice (such as with our yearly Northland Youth Summit Arts Festival).
Whangarei District Council for ongoing operations and projects; other Northland councils for projects-based funding; Foundation North and other charities; Creative New Zealand; project-based sponsors such as Resene. Events, workshops and projects tend to make a profit - the ArtBeat stallholder fees go towards running costs such as electricity, stage, staff, etc; commission from auction sales from the Whangarei Sculpture Symposium which goes back into the running costs.
How many people work at Creative Northland?
We currently have six part-time team members, including general manager and two interns.
What does Creative Northland do behind the scenes?
We give free advice about creative opportunities on a daily and weekly basis. We curate a community artspace in the Quest Artspace; have the internship programme every summer, this season a graduate from NorthTec and one about to study film at Victoria University; marketing and promotion assistance; workshops; the annual Northland Art Guide publication. Our key events are ArtBeat, Whangarei Sculpture Symposium, and the Northland Youth Summit Arts Festival. We sponsor the Creative Industries Award for the Northland Business Excellence Awards run by the Chamber of Commerce each year.
Selfie time for Shirley Ellis, left, Annie McLaren and Colleen China at ArtBeat in Cafler Park.
Has ArtBeat changed much over the years?
ArtBeat 2019 will be the 23rd year for this event so it has definitely developed over this time. It is a free, family-friendly interactive event with music, other entertainment and stalls. The public can have a go at creating artwork in various mediums and take the results home.
How does it sit in the scale of Creative Northland public events?
It is the biggest public interactive event, however the free Northland Youth Summit Arts Festival has grown to 70-80 youth participation across three day, in eight arts genre. In 2019, we hope to increase the genre workshops to nine or 10. The bi-annual Whangarei Sculpture Symposium is across 10 days with 20 artists working in their choice of wood or soft or hard-stone to create works around a theme. This is open to the public for free and all works are auctioned at the end of the Symposium. Artists pay a fee towards materials and attendance but all meals are catered by Creative Northland.
