Sculpture Festival celebrates art in the round

The curator of the annual Sculpture Festival at Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre says the three-dimensional form holds eternal appeal.

Koji Miyazaki, who is himself a jeweller and director of Form Gallery, says being able to walk around an artwork, or turn it over in your hand, is deeply satisfying. “Most sculpture is tactile, some is wearable, so we experience it through our skin as well as with our eyes. For me as a maker, the 3-dimensional form is endlessly challenging.”

Now in its 4th year, The Arts Centre Sculpture Festival is becoming an established highlight in Ōtautahi Christchurch’s artistic calendar. The festival defiantly celebrates work that is not flat – work that goes beyond the screen or page or canvas.

This year, the festival selection panel chose about 40 artists, both newcomers and well-known names, mostly from Canterbury. Among the 300+ works on display will be glass by Graeme Hitchcock, ceramics by Katie Gold, John Parker, Rick Rudd, and Chris Weaver, sculpture by Tony Matthews, and jewellery by Lynn Kelly.

Smaller works will be on display in the Great Hall, 10am to 5pm daily. Larger works will be installed in the North Quad and surrounds, where the public can view them any time.

The festival season, now 14-29 October, has been extended this year to incorporate three weekends. During opening weekend (14-15 Oct) there will be six artist-led creative workshops including clay head sculpting, 3D digital to physical making, clay bowl making, putiputi harakeke weaving, clay sculpture making, and needle felting. Entry to the festival is free, but creative workshops are ticketed. Book at www.artscentre.org.nz

Artworks are for sale, with prices starting at $85, as well as genuine investment pieces. Sales benefit the artists and Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre.

The Arts Centre Sculpture Festival is supported by the Farina Thompson Charitable Trust, proudly managed by Perpetual Guardian.