Whangārei Quarry Arts Centre's Great Plate exhibition and auction is back

The Great Plate exhibition is on at Whangārei's Quarry Arts Centre, and exhibition organiser and artist Susie Guest said there is some great artwork on display and for sale. Photos/Michael Cunningham

Author Deepak Chopra urged people to: "Fill your plate with the colours of the rainbow. What pleases the eye, pleases the body.''

And if that's true there will be plenty to please the eye and body at the annual Whangārei Quarry Arts Centre's Great Plate exhibition and auction.

There are 104 plates in the exhibition and auction this year - one of the highest numbers yet - with the auction the centre's major fundraiser of the year. This year money raised will go toward the quarry art centre's new kiln.

Exhibition organiser and artist Susie Guest said the Great Plate exhibition was always a popular event that produced some wonderful artworks, and this year, to coincide with the centre's 40th anniversary, it had extra significance.

One of the plates is by renowned artist, eco-designer and architect Graeme North. North was one of the guiding lights of the original quarry and constructed the centre's Scallop Room for Quarry artist and founder Yvonne Rust.

His plate has an earthen rim with a picture of Rust in the middle.

Guest said the plate was a wonderful way of honouring Rust and the work she did in getting the centre set up 40 years ago.

One of the highlights of the Great Plate exhibition is this earth-framed plate made by Graeme North of artist Yvonne Rust - who set up the Arts Centre 40 years ago.

Guest said while all the plates were great, there were some outstanding ones, which was a great achievement, especially as it looked like the exhibition would struggle to get enough artworks during the Covid-19 lockdown.

''Halfway through I was worried we wouldn't get enough. While they were isolated and maybe not thinking as much about the arts as shelter and food, but this has really brought the Quarry Arts Centre community together and the creativity of the plates is outstanding.

"People have come out of their lockdown isolation and it has really inspired their creativity. It has really shown the importance of art in helping people recover.''

The Great Plate exhibition and auction runs until July 24 and people can view and bid on the plates on Trade Me at http://tinyurl.com/GREATPLATE or they can visit the Quarry Arts Centre in Selwyn Ave, Whangārei.