Fine Arts Whanganui's birthday celebration includes youth scholarship

Whanganui Fine Arts members Julie Laird (left), John Archbold, Pauline Allomes, Craig Hooker, Marie Grice, Alys Davidson and Gaynor Mulholland in 2015.

A Whanganui arts collective is celebrating its second birthday this month and giving a boost to young artists at the same time.

Fine Arts Whanganui will celebrate the occasion with an exhibition of submissions for the Young Artist Scholarship at their Taupo Quay gallery leading up to the prizegiving and birthday party on November 17.

"Fine Arts has implemented the Youth Artist Scholarship with entries closing on Monday November 6," says collective member Gail Imhoff.

"The winning prize is $1000 plus an exhibition at our gallery next year."

A second young artist will win the People's Choice Award with a prize of $200 from Fine Arts Whanganui and, with support from Artists Open Studios, have their art work featured on the cover of the 2018 Artist Open Studios catalogue.

There have been a few line-up changes since Fine Arts Whanganui got together in 2015, with original members Don Hill, Andre Bronnimann and Jane Toy leaving to be replaced by Lindsay Marsh and Simone Jaquat.

The collective was formed after several of the artists took part in an exhibition at Wanganui Veterinary Services in 2015 and decisions on running the gallery are made by consensus.

Two years later, they can look back on numerous successful exhibitions of their own work and the gallery has hosted several guest artists.

Youth Artist Portfolios will be on display at the Fine Arts Gallery from Saturday November 11 to Friday 17 for members of the public to vote for the People's Choice Award.

Whanganui Fine Arts Gallery, 17 Taupo Quay, 10am to 3pm.