Introspection by Julie Greig who will be conducting a workshop at the symposium.
Introspection by Julie Greig who will be conducting a workshop at the symposium.
Eagerly awaited tickets for the inaugural Whanganui Visual Arts Symposium went on sale this week.
A limited number of Early Bird workshop and weekend passes are available for a short time and local creatives are being encouraged to get in quick.
Workshop tickets are expected to sell fast with plenty of interest from Whanganui and neighbouring districts.
Tickets are available via the symposium website and in person or online via the Royal Wanganui Opera House booking office.
Billed as a "creative learning weekend" the symposium was created especially with artists in mind, to upskill through interactive workshops and demonstrations.
In addition to the hands-on workshops, a series of morning art talks will get behind-the-scenes on what it means to be a practising artist in today's global market.
Nine artists hand-picked from the top of their fields will lead the five-hour workshops on Saturday and Sunday.
Stemming from diverse backgrounds, and working across the spectrum of arts media, they are: Russian-born oil painter Tatyana Kulida, Canterbury-based former Whanganui master pastellist Julie Greig, Tauranga watercolourist Jenny Coker, Northland mosaic artist Pat George, Queenstown-based fine art photographer Jackie Rankin, and Scottish-born acrylics artist Morag Stokes.
These six visiting artists join three internationally renowned Whanganui-based creatives who complete the line-up: leading Maori arts ceramicist Wi Taepa, printmaker Marty Vreede, and traditional harakeke papermaker Marilyn Vreede.
He Can See the Light by Tatyana Kulida
Last, but certainly not least, Graeme Stevenson, the flamboyant Australian presenter of the
Colour in Your Life
television series, will bring an additional burst of colour as guest speaker at the symposium's gala evening on Saturday night.
In preparation for the symposium, the WVAST committee is hosting Frankchats - a series of workshops showcasing artists at Frank Bar and Eatery on Thursday nights.
