Festival of arts in Queenstown

Press, 26 November 1986, Page 22

Festival of arts in Queenstown

Queenstown’s first festival of community arts, “The Arts in Action” began at the week-end, featuring more than 50 activities.

“The Arts in Action” celebrates taking part in arts of all kinds. This week, there will be oneact plays performed by the Wakatipu Drama group and Elmwood Players from Christchurch, folk singing and choirs, dancing by Spanish, Highland, ballet and modern dancers.

There will be spinning, weaving, “ole-ing,” Maori crafts, painting and crayoning. The week is being presented by “Mountain Scene” in association with the Lakes Community Arts Council, the body which fosters community arts in the QueenstownLakes area.

The exhibition. “A Piece of Art for Peace,” will visit Queenstown as part of “The Arts in Action” festival. The exhibition, with the support of the Southern Committee for the United Nations Year of Peace and the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, is being toured by the Southern Regional Arts Council. The touring development officer for the Southern Regional Arts Council. Mr Steve Thomas, says “The theme was placed before a number of invited artists by John Coley of the McDougall Art Gallery and over 80 of New Zealand’s most prominent artists have responded.” All the works are on A 4 paper and involve a range of media, including photo-

graphy, collage, painting, printing and a typed aerogramme.

A recent furore in Waimate involved the borough council, which objected to the exhibition being hung in the local library and council offices, and took it down. “This was not an auspicious start,” says Mr Thomas. “This was the first showing outside Christchurch. However, any reaction is better than none at all.” Artists involved include Stanley Palmer, Bill Sutton, Peter Siddell, Marilyn Webb, Doris Lusk, Ralph Hotere, Dick Frizzell, Di French, Bing Dawe and Claudia Pond-Eyley.

The exhibition will be on tour in the southern region over the next two years on the community arts council circuit.