Still is not a word that applies either to ARTbop or the creative activities around Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty.
Easter saw the 54th National Jazz Festival, the oldest jazz festival in New Zealand, overlay the coastal town of Tauranga. ARTbop was privileged to attend the Tui Awards: I caught some of the 39th Youth Jazz Competition and Prizegiving. I also spent time down on the Strand on Sunday at the Downton Carnival: I met wonderful talented people sharing their music and enthusiasm and handed out our ARTbop promotional flyers. There’s a very different angle on the TECT Jazz Village: you won’t believe what I saw going on down there? Give you a clue: sustainability! Congratulations to the Tauranga Jazz Society Incorporated and Festival Director Becks Chambers and her team – “a good time was had by all”.
Performance Poet, Dhaivat Mehta, who has made a significant contribution to ARTbop in collaborating on the development of ARTbop alternative, continues to pursue not only his poetry performance career but also his documentary and film-making. Dhaivat and the Tauranga Film Collective have a significant project developing with Tauranga Writers. In order to focus on his film aspirations, Dhaivat has relinquished his hands on role as Editor of ARTbop alternative but will continue to be involved with the ARTbopSHOW: videos and podcasts. Take a look at the videoed walk-through of The Art of Technology with Tauranga artist, Murray Clode and Creative Tauranga Curator, Millie Newitt and Phil Green’s creative conversation with respected local artist Jenny Coker. There is a wonderful archive of creative conversations across the spectrum of creativity.
ARTbop has been joined by another more recent arrival from Auckland, Stephen Woodward, who as Sam Woodward of Poems by Sam, will be our poetry focused Editor. ARTbop has a strong thread of poetry among all its contributors and we wish to support the current focus on poetry and written language taking off around Tauranga. Sam will be an on-going participant in poetry workshops organised by The Incubator and has provided a comment on the first Incubator poetry meeting at the end of March. Sam will also contribute a piece on Saturday’s performance of The Lyre of Tauranga which also featured an orginal performance piece by ARTbop’s Dhaivat Mehta.
I went along to a Tauranga Writer’s Poetry Workshop. I hoped to encourage group members to contribute original poems to ARTbop. The two-part workshop was well organised. It was unavoidable, I participated – it was a stimulating and enjoyable experience – poetry on the hop. I’ve even got Margaret Beverland to allow me to publish her kitchen-based poetry excercise – make sure you read her bio – a very talented creative.
In And, And, And I’ve just published an article about a beautiful collage-style garment I saw worn by the delightful Holly at Le Petit Four. It introduced me to a Melbourne-based style source P.A.M. Aka Perks and Mini. Take a look – interesting and different is everywhere.
If you’re a reader, take a look at WORDS. Yes I read a lot of murder mysteries and crime thrillers. ARTbop book reviewer Kevin Newman has a particular interest in World War II and the associated period. If you would like to contribute a book review, contact me above. We’d appreciate a brief biography and image as well. And don’t forget the Tauranga City Libraries book clubs: details in WORDS, From the Library.
2015 saw the 30th Anniversary of Downtown Tauranga’s performance and exhibition centre.Baycourt Community and Arts Centre. Stalwart of Baycourt, Maureen Guy, has provided ARTbop with a copy of “The Story of Baycourt”. There’ll be a review of that publication and information about Friends of Baycourt later this month. An incorporated society, the Friends of Baycourt are looking for organisational participation and support.
Murray Clode has established a pop-up gallery in the Goddard Arcade: Macmor. We will be reprinting Creative Tauranga Curator Millie Newitt’s recent interview with Murray about this project.
Students from the Bachelor of Creative Industries will be exhibiting at the Creative Tauranga Gallery, Willow Street. And the Cargo Shed on Dive Crescent has exhibitions in its gallery changing monthly: it’s summer hours of 7 days 10am to 4pm will transition at the end of April to weekends only 10am-4pm until October. Tauranga Society of Artists Inc. are regulars at Coronation Park, Mount Maunganui and Left Bank can be seen on the Strand, Downtown Tauranga. Both have original local art works for sale. And don’t miss entering the 2016 Sustainable Art Challenge: Create a piece of art showing our vision for a sustainable future: Go to www.envirohub.org.nz – 07 578 6664
It’s not all happening in Tauranga. Miriam Ruberl, ARTbop’s Rotorua Correspondent, has been around assessing the artistic and cultural merit of Crankworx. Miriam has posted a selection of images on the ARTbop facebook page. Artist, Miriam, a former trustee of Creative Tauranga and Creative Rotorua, has a number of workshops coming up around New Zealand and later in the year will be tutoring in Australia. The Rotorua Museum has on-going exhibitions and displays and the Rotorua Arts Village with its regular market is always a buzzing with activity.
Whakatane Rotary has an art exhibition and sale coming up. We’ll publish more about this when it comes to hand. Anda welcome to new magazine publication, La Vita, Whakatane focused with its first issue Autumn 2016.
Over the Kaimais.This month ARTbop Enviro & Political Art has published an article about emergent fabric creative Vanessa Wilson of Putaruru.
Matamata has a Festival of Flowers “Nature to Art” at the end of April (20 – 23 at the Memorial Centre Matamata) And up the Coromandel they’re working towards the inaugural Mercury Bay Music Festival ()3 -05 June 2016). It’s a mix of musical genres “bringing a world of talent home to Whitianga”. Whitianga, one of my favourite Coromandel destinations: hope to have an interview about this in the near future.
“You should have been an actress” – Monday morning 4th of April I spoke to a group of residents at Bob Owens Village in Bethlehem. Parking, surrounded by vibrant flowers and foliage, I walked through a library area and restaurant style dining room to the reception area. My introductory talk about ARTbop was organised by Tracey Dewes whom I’d met at my Historic Village market stall. In the audience was a member of The Elms guides (also the facilities newsletter Editor), an artist and wonderful and engaging members of our mature community. If you would like me to speak to your community group about ARTbop please contact me on either 07 571 8722 or rosemary@artbop.co.nz
Rosemary Balu. Rosemary Balu is the founding and current editor of ARTbop. Rosemary has arts and law degrees from the University of Auckland. She has been a working lawyer and has participated in a wide variety of community activities where information gathering, submission writing, community advocacy and education have been involved. Interested in all forms of the arts since childhood Rosemary is focused on further developing and expanding multi-media ARTbop as the magazine for all the creative arts in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
