The wonderful community gallery in the Creative Tauranga complex at Willow Street, opposite the Tauranga Art Gallery needs to be open Saturdays and Sundays and all the summer holidays. It needs to be open the same days and times as the Art Gallery.
For those of you who think this is going to be a piece about Creative Tauranga or its personnel – sorry to disappoint – I’ve seen Tracey Rudduck-Gudsell do those early morning starts at the Tauranga Farmer’s Market and carry those bronze statues in for display. This is a suggestion that one of Tauranga’s successful businesses might like to sponsor staff to monitor the Community Gallery for weekends and holidays.
Downtown Tauranga is tiny and in many respects a bedraggled urban centre. It has none of the Mount’s vibe and fizz. The Strand is like a different world from the streets lurking behind it. What Downtown Tauranga has is the Tauranga Art Gallery, Creative Tauranga and its Gallery, and the Tauranga Public Library. The Creative Tauranga Gallery is a little jewel and every effort should be made to ensure that Creative Tauranga remains a downtown presence.
Before Christmas and over the holiday period the Creative Tauranga Community Gallery was exhibition the work of Alf Rendell, historic photographic recorder of developing Tauranga – that should have been available for everyone all the time: cruiseship tourists, holidaying locals and visitors.
If you’re out there and wondering whether you should buy another horse at the Karaka sales or have a boat built bigger than anything the New Zealand Navy currently has; consider supporting the Creative Tauranga Community Gallery. It’s an amazing space in an amazing place!
Rosemary Balu
