Last year's winner of the Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award, Auckland artist Gina Ferguson, with her work Wear 'n' tear. Photo / Stephen Barker
The annual call for Kiwi creatives to flex their skills has arrived. The Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award is a renowned competition challenging artists from throughout New Zealand to transform the iconic agricultural product, No.8 wire, into inspiring art.
The prize pool is almost $10,000, and entries for the
annual awards are now open.
Hosted by Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato and supported by the New Zealand National Fieldays Society, the event has seen incredible talent manipulate the infamously difficult product into stunning works for sale.
Approaching its 25th year, the award is now recognised as a celebration of true ingenuity. In 2022, the competition will be judged by carver, sculptor, and multi-disciplinary artist Eugene Kara.
With iwi affiliations to Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Tīpā, Ngāti Kōata, Ngā Rauru, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa, and Ngāti Kahungunu, Eugene has been a practising artist for 30 years.
In his time at the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) in Rotorua, Eugene has established Te Ahi Komau, New Zealand's first Māori foundry and bronze casting facility.
