Tickets now available for the Saturday, 17 February Opening Reception and Award Presentation

Public tickets for the 2018 Molly Morpeth Canaday Award 3D Opening Reception and Award Presentation are expected to sell out quickly. This special evening and the award exhibition itself bring people together to celebrate the arts, and are always very well attended. The openings offer “a great opportunity to meet artists and have some fun,” says Arts Whakatāne President David Poole.

The big event is set to take place this weekend on Saturday, 17 February at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi – Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre. Attendees will gather in the galleries from 5:30 pm to view the selection of artworks on show, and enjoy drinks, nibbles and entertainment. Soon after, the award winners chosen by guest judge Deborah Crowe will be announced.

Awards include:

• The Molly Morpeth Canaday Trust Major Award ($10,000)
• The Akel Schulte Runner Up Award ($4000)
• The Craigs Investment Partners Youth Award ($2,500)
• The Arts Whakatāne Award ($1,000)
• Merit Awards sponsored by Gordon Harris, Whakatāne Society of Arts and Crafts, Hon. Anne Tolley, and 4 Art Sake Gallery

Exhibited works will be available to purchase following the award presentation.

Tickets for the opening reception and award presentation cost $30 per person and are available at The Good Life, located on The Strand in Whakatāne. Organisers are also inviting interested members of the public to an inaugural public preview earlier in the day, from 10 am – 2 pm.

Voting for the ever-popular Law Creative People’s Choice Merit Award will open at the Preview. (Voting for the Law Creative Public Choice Merit Award ($500) will be open until late March 2018, when the winner of this award will announced.)

Visitors are encouraged to use the voting system as a friendly way to enter into arts discussion with relatives, friends, and passersby. Whakatāne Museum and Arts Kaiārahi (visitor hosts) will also be on hand for discussion and guidance in the galleries, and visiting artist Mia Straka is going to be present on the day carrying out her ongoing work Valere Talisman Project. This is a pop-up event where gallery visitors talk with Straka about a value they identify as important. If the visitor choses to commit to an action that upholds the identified value, Straka will create a custom pendant for the visitor to take and wear. This event is free of charge and open to all. 

“We invite the public to join us from 17 February for an abundance of contemporary, traditional, and utterly fascinating art from across New Zealand,” says Whakatāne Museum Director Eric Holowacz. “Some of the art is subtle and quiet, and some is bold and unrestrained, but all of it has something to say about creativity and the world we inhabit in Aotearoa.”

The 2018 Molly Morpeth Canady Award 3D is presented by Arts Whakatāne and Whakatāne Museum and Arts. The programme is made possible by the generous support of the Molly Morpeth Canaday Trust, established by Frank Canaday in memory of his wife Molly Morpeth Canaday. The trust has been a major supporter of the arts in Whakatāne for over 25 years. Organisers would also like to acknowledge supporting sponsors Bay Trust, Pub Charity, and Nicholson Autos.

The award exhibition runs from Saturday, 17 February to Sunday, 8 April 2018 at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi – Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre.

Find more information on the Molly Morpeth Canaday Award website »