The Raglan Arts Weekend (RAW) festival kicks off next week with the opening of the Preview Exhibition at the Old School, giving fans an early look into this year’s creations and talent.
The Preview Exhibition will allow Raglan fans, and those further afield too, to do a bit of art buying ahead of the actual art trail, now firmly in the diary for Labour Weekend from 22-24 October 2022. Despite three postponements in two years, RAW is now full steam ahead in preparations for a knock-out 2022 event and promises to be better than ever after its two-year hiatus due to Covid.
The self-guided open studio art trail has grown from strength to strength since its inception 13 years ago. It continues to attract top Raglan artists who want to connect with visitors, share new exploratory styles, and sell artwork which is especially developed for the 3- day weekend.
“The high standard of art attracts a loyal following of top art buyers from around the country, in addition to the hoardes of visitors seeking out a special piece or just wanting to be inspired,” says Nicky Brzeska, RAW Co-Ordinator. “Our event will be well worth the wait as artists have had an extended period to produce and cherry pick high quality work to exhibit. Lots of our artists have also been experimenting with new styles, providing a broader range of work to choose from,” she says.
The 40 artists for 2022 include 11 new artists. Visitors will be spoilt for choice with a broad range of media from sculpture, painting, photography, metal work and encaustic to print making, illustration, pottery, weaving, textile art and designer jewellery.
The official RAW Preview Exhibition opens to the public this month on the 30 September 2022. “We’d love to see you down at the Old School to support our local artists and it’s a fantastic way to see what’s on offer over Labour Weekend, plan your art trail route, or even secure an exclusive RAW piece ahead of the show,” Nicky says. “You will also be able to pick up one of our Raglan Arts Guides which includes a trail map, as well as find out about any studio changes due to the two postponements,” she says.
The Preview Exhibition will be open every day from 30 September 2022 (including weekends) from 10am until 2pm until 24 October 2022 at the Old School. As artwork sells, it will continuously be replaced so it will maintain its freshness up until the event itself.
RAW will be held over Labour Weekend 22-24 October 2022. Studios will be open 10am until 5pm.
All details can be found at the new web site www.raglanartsweekend.nz. It’s important to visit this site to see any changes to artist studio locations too.
The organisers want to thank RAW’s financial supporters and sponsors: the three grant providers (Chartwell Trust, Waikato District Council Discretionary Events Fund, Waikato District Creative Communities NZ) as well as Tony Sly and other local business advertisers in the Raglan Arts Guide. Without these funds, the popular landmark event would not be remotely possible.
