Last weekend two exhibition openings under the auspices of The Incubator Creative Hub: 111 at the People’s Gallery and PrettyUgly at The Incubator Gallery. That was Saturday. Sunday was checking out the amazing contents of The Tauranga Art Gallery and the Downtown Christmas decorations.

I was so excited last Saturday afternoon I transposed the exhibitions at the Historic Village. How I got all that artwork in my tiny cross-body bag I don’t know. But it’s the 111 Group Show also known as a “frenzy” which you’ll find in the beautifully restored Foresters’ Hall art space and Clare Birch aka lowercase g’s show PrettyUgly in the gallery within the Incubator.

111 Group Show 2019 is a fabulous opportunity to view the spectrum of creativity of local artists and to buy an original work by one of them. The crowd waits impatiently at the door. (This show opening has been called “a frenzy” because of the determination of buyers to locate and sticker work by their “favourite”).Before we go into the People’s Gallery we’re offered bowls of those little red stickers artists consider the mark of the divine – a buyer. The Incubator is prepared for the surge of activity. Here’s Director Simone Anderson and one of the “helpers”There are so many people that it’s hard to move. I have a quick look round then, as I’m not buying, I do what I usually do – go back the next day! But by the time I leave the walls are plastered with red dots. Here’s a more quiet Sunday view.

AND THEN IT’S BACK TO PRETTYUGLY, Clare Birch is lowercase g.

Clare is a graphic designer based at The Kollective in the Historic Village and a long-time supporter of The Incubator. Her work references her profession. As I love black and white I really enjoy her artisan graphics and the delicate, intricate and spidery lines of composition, and then this work which reminds me of wallpaper – the wallpaper to our lives.It was also Clare’s birthday. To celebrate there was a spectacularly garlanded lavender cake and a croqueembouche (croque-en-bouche) aka a tower of extreme sugary delight. This one really did “crunch in the mouth” and it and the cake are an additional surprise treat. You can’t see it, but on the dresser on the other side of the gallery is a Wibbly, Wobbly Jelly Cake with Vodka – a calming alternative to Christmas pudding.Art from The Whipped BakerThese exhibition openings were well attended. I know I say it after every event I attend at The Incubator. So much talent, so much time and energy, such care and effort. Thank you

PrettyUgly continues at The Incubator Gallery until 21st December 2019.

111 The Annual Group show at The People’s Gallry until 21st December 2019

Part II coming soon.

Rosemary Balu. Rosemary Balu is the founding and current Managing 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.