Entries in the Sustainable Art Challenge will be exhibited at Baycourt from 1st to 3rd July 2016 – YES!
The entry form said “create a piece of art showing your vision for a sustainable future” Entries were open to: intermediate, secondary students and adults within Tauranga and the Western Bay and the challenge ran from Feb 1st – June 11th 2016. Categories: Up-cycled Junk + Trash to Fash + Photography + Short movies.
So I did – create something for ARTbop and enter it. Well that’s not quite it – I’ve entered the advertising and promotional “tools” we’ve been using at ARTbop since we started in 2009. Recycled, repurposed, scavenged and scrounged. You may have seen one of our “tins” in the Cargo Shed, Creative Tauranga, the Tauranga Public Library, the headquarters of the Western Bay of Plenty District Council. No – well have a look.
Totally consistent with the fundamental philosophy of ARTbop’s non-exploitative and independent ethos. And, totally consistent with the child of migrants escaping from the privations and restrictions of Wold War II and its aftermath imbued with the frugality of survival. My parents were proud of their first bookcase – made by my father sanding down and varnishing wooden “butter boxes” – they’d be an entry in Up-cycled Junk. If the bookcase is still in existence it’s probably now classed as vintage kiwiana! It’s therefore fascinating that we are trying to teach our children and grandchildren about reusing, recycling and repurposing. We forget the past with speed and ignore the future.
While the tins and the simple black and white promotional flyers are the hardcopy face of ARTbop take a look at The ARTbopSHOW. Yes, not quite Russell Brand in his bed but in a section of Dhaivat Mehta’s studio apartment, ARTbop, and more particularly Dhaivat, have recorded and then created the episodes about Bay of Plenty creatives, walk-throughs of exhibitions and promos.
ARTbop isn’t bagging those organisations that receive funding, merely pointing out the internet, other people’s “rubbish” and the great goodwill and support of the Bay of Plenty creative communities are as valuable as direct grants of cash. So thank you all for your direct and indirect contributions to and support for ARTbop and make sure you cruise along to Baycourt to see what others have done with “junk and trash”.
“All entries will be exhibited at Baycourt (1st to 3rd July – gold coin entry).
Entrants and the general public will be invited to attend the Sustainable Art Challenge Awards ceremony at Baycourt on Sunday 3rd July. There’ll be a viewing of the top entries for the short movies, the live Trash to Fash show and an auction of the Up-cycled Junk entries (you don’t have to sell it but if you do 40% goes to the Envirohub towards the cost of the 2017 challenge) There will be awesome prizes within each age category to $500.”
And after the season at Baycourt, the will be an exhibition at the Creative Tauranga Gallery, Willow Street, Downtown Tauranga. More information on www.envirohub.org.nz or phone 07 578 6664
Take a look at the earlier article on the Sustainable Art Challenge 2016: Transformation: from crass to cool!
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.
