This year’s Raglan Arts Weekend (RAW) is formalising the epic pop up you may have caught last year with Jessie Kanji, Lucy Aitken Read, Louis Meehan and Caleb Osborne, with an emerging artists group show at the Town Hall – named, appropriately ‘The Hatch’.
Brainchild of Osborne, Meehan and Miriam Collins (who you may remember from Art Attack #1), The Hatch is a practical solution to many of the barriers facing artists who are just starting to make their mark on the art world.
“The intention behind this was – from my own experience being an emerging artist – there really needs to be support in our community, region, country for new artists. Incubation, nurturing and celebration of an artist’s journey and new work. We’re trying to serve that community wherever they’re at,” Caleb says.
The Old School Arts Centre and RAW coodinator Nicky Brzeska have been instrumental in getting this off the ground.
“Spaces dedicated to emerging artists are so important – it’s a massive spectrum of what that means; commission costs from galleries can be a real killer, lack of spaces to make and exhibit – particularly since that’s such a commodity here in Whāingaroa with rent and economic insecurity; lack of confidence or promotional savvy…we want to provide guidance and mentorship alongside RAW to overcome these things,” he says
“For this show we’ve really narrowed down who we’re trying to support – artists without major gallery representation, who aren’t receiving a fulltime income from their works or who haven’t exhibited prolifically. People in the middle ground putting heaps of love into their work but need a platform.”
“We want The Hatch collective to really collaborate – sharing knowledge and experience and engaging with the more established artists here in Whāingaroa in casual mentorship, sharing a cheeky beer situation.”
Largely paint based, with some sculptural work the town hall exhibition will feature – Caleb Orsborne, Miriam Collins, Bridget Pride, Andrea Velasquez, Ailene Cuthbertson, Zasha Baudry, Esther Miro, Liza Adams, Kayla Bacon, Finley Elder, Lisa Mills, Armin Schmidt, Pat Day and Lucy Aitken-Read.
“Time will tell if The Hatch becomes an ongoing platform for emerging artists here in our community – we’d love that to happen! Our future direction is very open and exciting, there’s definitely room to move, any offers of studio or exhibiting space, hit me up,” Caleb says.
The Hatch emerging artists exhibition will be held at the Town Hall during Raglan Arts Weekend – 21 – 23 October, 10 – 5 daily. Opening on the evening of Friday 20 October.
by Sarah Bing, Ceramic Sculptor. Images by Dave Duffin.
