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Fifty artists, across 24 venues, will showcase their work to the public on February 28 and March 1, as part of the annual Mangawhai Art Trail weekend
The venues, which range across Mangawhai, Hakaru, Langs Beach and Waipu, will be open on Saturday, from 10am to 4pm, and Sunday, from 10am to 3pm. Most venues will open across both days, although some will participate for one day only.
Visitors can expect a diverse range of artistic disciplines, including oil painting, ceramics, printmaking, contemporary weaving, reclaimed metal sculpture, recycled glass sculpture, photography, Māori raranga (flax weaving), fibre art, expressive and abstract painting, architectural drawings, digital works and mixed media.
Several venues will also offer hands-on activities, giving visitors the chance to engage directly with the creative process.
Among the participating artists is Nicki Everett, a long-time local artist who will be opening her home studio and returning to the trail after not taking part last year. Everett studied Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury, majoring in painting, and later completed a Diploma in Education.
“With my work, it always depends on what I want to say and what feels appropriate. I consider myself a maker rather than being a painter or printmaker or sculptor – I use whatever I think is appropriate for what I want to show,” she said. “I’m not expecting people to buy my work. What they can do when they come here is experience printmaking for themselves.”
Everett highlighted the importance of the Mangawhai Art Trail as both a platform for artists and as a way for the wider community to discover what is happening locally.
“There is definitely a history of artists living in Mangawhai that goes back quite a few years, and I think the trail itself encourages people who are interested in art to come and live here,” she said.
The central hub of the trail is the Mangawhai Artists Gallery at 45 Moir Street. Art Trail maps will be available from the Mangawhai Art Gallery, the Tourist Information Centre, Mangawhai Library, Kaiwaka Library and all participating venues, including Hakaru Hall, Sarah C in Mangawhai Heads and Patsy Montgomery’s studio in Waipu.
Each map includes a QR code linking to further information and Google Maps, making it easy for visitors to plan their journey.
The Art Trail offers a rare opportunity to meet artists in their “happy place” – the studio. Artists will be on site, welcoming conversations about their work and creative process. Visitors can see how artworks are made, connect directly with makers and purchase work straight from the source.
