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Lovers of arts and crafts should hit the road in February, as nearly 40 artists will be throwing open their doors over two weekends for the third annual Mahurangi Artists’ Studio Trail.
This year’s event encompasses more than 25 homes, studios and galleries in communities over a wide area, including Mahurangi West, Warkworth, Wellsford, Leigh, Omaha, Tawharanui, Matakana and Snells Beach.
Artists and craftspeople will be displaying their work for sale, giving talks and demonstrations and, in a few cases, inviting visitors to join in and have a go themselves. Entry is free and there will be something to appeal to every age and taste, with a diverse range of works incorporating painting, printmaking, glass, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, jewellery, drawing, photography, silk screen, leather and wood carving, among others.
Have-a-go sessions will be run at five venues around the district, with a range of activities for all ages. These include screen printing with Talia Russell at Mahurangi West, creating in clay with Blair Fraser in Sandspit and contributing to a community mural project with a group of five artists exhibiting at the Old Masonic Hall in Warkworth.
The trail will be open throughout Waitangi weekend, from February 6 to 8, and also on the following weekend, February 12 and 13. It was originally scheduled for Labour Weekend, but was postponed due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions at the time. Now, masks must be warn at all venues.
Trail map brochures are available online or from local information centres and businesses, and all venues will be clearly marked with bunting and signage.
The trail is organised by the Mahurangi Artist Network in a bid to encourage people to explore the region while visiting artists to see their creativity in action and hear about their techniques and inspiration.
For more information on participating artists, venues and a trail map, visit www.mahurangiartistnetwork.com/2021-artists-and-venues or www.facebook.com/MahurangiArtistsTrail/
