“There are so many printmakers in Whanganui. We wanted to support the book, the artists and the Print Council of Aotearoa New Zealand,” Toy said.
Among the printmakers featured in the book is Catherine Macdonald, whose humorous cards are popular with customers.
“Catherine used to work at the Sarjeant on the front desk. Her cards are just around the corner in the shop, and when you hear people giggling, you know exactly what they are looking at.”
Macdonald also supplies colouring books she makes for children and adults. She says it’s good to have “your name out there”.
“The staff are also really good at talking about the shop products and who makes them, and where else people can see their work. They’re great champions of the local arts community,” Macdonald said.
Today, Toy is wearing jewellery she bought at the shop - rings and bangles by Whanganui-based jeweller Frances Stachl and earrings by New Plymouth-based jeweller Jennifer Laracy.
“There are so many creative people in Whanganui. A point of difference from other galleries is that we stock products made only by local and national makers.”
Many out-of-town artists such as potter Paul Maseyk (New Plymouth) and glass artist Keith Grinter (Whangarei) have connections with Whanganui. Grinter used to teach at the glass school here, and Paul studied with Ross Mitchell-Anyon.
There are others who have moved to Whanganui, such as jeweller Banshee the Valkyrie and ceramicist Ivan Vostinar.
“Most of our items here at the shop are handmade – they aren’t mass-produced. Everything has a story - that’s the fun part of it, and makes you passionate about selling it. You can tell customers how [the items] were made, something about the artist and the philosophy behind them,” Toy said.
Frances Stachl is well-known as a jeweller whose work is sold throughout New Zealand. Many other galleries sell her work, but Stachl says “the Sarjeant is like family”.
Stachl makes jewellery using hand tools, so even when the design is the same as that of another piece, there is individual variation.
“They are all one-offs. I’m not a machine, so no piece is exactly the same.
“One of the things I especially like about the practice of making jewellery is that although there [have been] some advances in technology, you can still work very simply, using essentially the same hand tools as a jeweller might have used 500 years earlier,” Stachl said.
And she liked the fact people could buy unique items from the gallery shop for under $100.
Toy had been careful to make the shop’s products as accessible as possible with a well-balanced price range.
“If you can’t afford to buy a big sculpture, perhaps you might be able to afford to buy a cup by an artist you like for your morning cup of coffee. Friends of the Sarjeant get a 10 per cent discount which comes off the Sarjeant’s profit, not that of the makers - it’s about supporting them.”
All the profit from the shop goes towards the running of the gallery.
The shop is online at Sarjeant.org.nz so people can order items from around the country and overseas.
The 2022 Pattillo Whanganui Arts Review is currently on show at the Sarjeant. A great many of the exhibited pieces are for sale.
