Anyone who knows Waipu – it's amazing surf cove, friendly cafes, New Zealand's best small museum and treasured Scottish heritage - will also be familiar with the renowned annual wearable art contest and show - Art'nTartan.
The show, produced under the umbrella of the Waipu Museum, will, once again, this year be staged in the magnificent Celtic Barn.
The Art'nTartan volunteer organising team have been hard at it since the beginning of the year formulating new categories and exploring ways of getting a contemporary theme into what has been a more than successful format over the past seven years.
To this end, former artistic director, Helen Frances, has moved into the realm of production manager, bringing all her skills in management and organisation to this new role. The gap has been filled by a collaborative pair comprising collage artist Annie Newall and dancer and performing arts guru Jayden Rudolph. Annie has been involved in the arts for some time and works out of her studio in Waipu. She has been a stalwart of Art'nTartan for five years and her entry won the Supreme Award in 2015. Jayden, previously a student at Bream Bay College, has been involved in the show since its inauguration in 2010. He now teaches dance at Bream Bay Ballet and also holds dance classes in Kaitaia. He is one of the instigators of AIM - Art in Motion - a scheme to replace the recently defunct Stage Challenge in secondary schools.
New categories too are on the cards bringing another fresh look to the show. The popular 'black light' section, though, is once more featured under the title 'Illumination Creation'. 'Migration Nation' has been included in an effort to encompass the many races and cultures who have arrived on our shores throughout history. For the guys and girls as, let's face it, girls have one too, there is 'The Shed'. Not limited to men, of course, this section is open to everyone. Throughout history, ingenious inventions and artworks galore have come out of many a Scottish shed and the audience can look forward to seeing these artistic interpretations come alive on stage. Inspiration from the treasures and taonga of Aotearoa will also come to life on stage in the now-famous kaleidoscope of scenery, music, dance and lighting effects that are planned for this year. Another new section 'Scottish Surreal' has proved very popular by the number of entries received and the audience can look forward to seeing a high degree of originality and innovation.
