Taupō's newest art gallery opens

Didi Chapman (centre, in black) used the opening to introduce many of the artists whose work features at Quirky Gallery.

The scissors may have slid effortlessly through the red ribbon across the Quirky Pottery Gallery’s doors last week, but it hasn’t been a straightforward journey for the new studio’s founder, Didi Chapman.

Having opened her first Quirky Pottery studio on Horomātangi St in early 2020, she was no stranger to tricky shop openings.

After just a few weeks, she was forced to close her doors due to Covid-19 lockdown regulations.

The business made it through, but only because of the Taupō community.

“We survived because we were supported by locals.”

After three years at the small CBD location, however, she faced relocation due to planned renovations on the building.

But moving a pottery studio isn’t quite as easy as boxing up a few plates and mugs - the kiln alone required a crane to be taken off site.

The new Quirky Gallery space showcases the work of New Zealand artists.

Once she’d secured the new space at 45 Oruanui St, and the heavy lifting was done, the race was on to fill it.

Much larger than her first Taupō studio, the new premises had more than enough space for her iconic pottery, much of which features ‘sgraffito’ - intricate designs scratched into the surface of the pottery.

She opted to approach a range of innovative and unique New Zealand artists to offer them space to display their works with hers.

“I am always looking for something special I could display alongside my pottery.”

That part wasn’t easy either, but Chapman had a strong network of makers thanks to her time spent exhibiting in galleries and arts spaces around the country.

This meant that when she shared her vision, the artists knew she could make it happen.

“People who I’ve met, who’ve known me for a long time, they trusted me.”

They knew just how tenacious and dedicated she was as an artist - but even once they were on board, the task wasn’t complete.

The project was just starting to fall into place when flash flooding hit parts of Taupō, including the new gallery, in early March.

Many might have been disheartened, but Chapman knows that when you’re following your life’s dream, everything will come together in the end.

After a childhood spent aspiring to become a potter - a vocation her family warned her wasn’t a secure job - on her 10th year in Taupō, Chapman cut the ribbon on Quirky Pottery’s new headquarters last week.

As well as housing a gallery, there is plenty of room to teach her pottery courses, alongside space for that incredibly heavy kiln.

The finished product features jewellery, oil paintings, artisan soaps, house plants, and of course pottery, both from Quirky Pottery and other New Zealand makers.

It’s a collaborative and varied studio, but ultimately it is the fruition of a deeply personal project for her.

“I want to share my art so strongly because I want to show people who I am.”

Quirky Pottery is open Tuesday to Saturday, between 10am and 4pm.