ACCOLADE HONOURS: From Philip Patston in 2014 to Olivier Lacoua in 2017, the four recipients of the Arts Access Accolade are people who have inspired the Arts Access Aotearoa team and helped the organisation achieve its vision of a society where all people in New Zealand have access to the arts. Read more about each recipient. You can also view the photos of the Arts Access Awards 2017 on Flickr.

Royal New Zealand Ballet’s first audio description

15 August 2017
Royal New Zealand Ballet will present its first audio described performances for blind and low vision patrons in Auckland with the ballet Romeo and Juliet, which opens in Wellington on 16 August and then tours New Zealand until 24 September. This is the first time a full ballet has been audio described in New Zealand and is part of an ongoing series of initiatives to make dance accessible to everyone. Read more about the audio described performance

Arts help meet needs in health and social services

4 August 2017
Research conducted in the UK provides evidence that participating in the arts improves quality of life, aids recovery from illness and saves money across the health and social services, says Richard Benge, Executive Director, Arts Access Aotearoa. “This is research that applies equally to New Zealand, and can help us meet some of the very real challenges facing our health and social services." Read more about the arts and health

Short film Tama a first for Film Festival

1 August 2017
Tama, the first Deaf and hearing short film collaboration to feature at the New Zealand International Film Festival, will screen in Wellington (13 August), Christchurch (16 and 17 August) and Dunedin (18 and 19 August) as part of the Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts Programme. Filmmakers Jared Flitcroft (Deaf) and Jack O’Donnell (hearing) co-directed this short film with Deaf and hearing actors. Read more about Tama

When words paint pictures

24 July 2017
"The old saying about a picture painting a thousand words can certainly be true – and these are the “iconic” photos we use again and again to evoke an emotion, highlight an issue or make a statement. But words – written and spoken – also have the power to move us, provide a voice and inspire change," says Richard Benge in his latest blog. "For Julie Woods, my co-MC at the Arts Access Awards, words paint pictures and give her a voice." Read Richard's blog

Accolade for Olivier Lacoua

5 July 2017
Commitment, inclusion, community and leadership are just some of the words that describe Wellington accessibility champion Olivier Lacoua, about to head south to manage the Novotel Christchurch Airport hotel opening in February 2018.Olivier, General Manager of CQ Hotels Wellington from 2010 to June 2017, is proof that it’s good business to be socially responsible and inclusive. Read more about Olivier Lacoua

Exhibition marks anniversary of art space

8 June 2017
An exhibition showcasing the work of Room 5 artists will open on Monday 12 June, coinciding with the second anniversary of the art studio based at the Phillipstown Community Hub in Christchurch. Called Wharenui, it celebrates the studio as a place in the community where artists with experience of mental illness can explore their creative world in the company of like-minded people. It features sculpture, printmaking, painting, drawing and mixed media. Read more about Room 5 

ACTIVE youth in concert with Julian Raphael

24 May 2017
Composer Julian Raphael and community group ACTIVE will present a new work, We’re Gonna Get Along, in concert on Saturday 27 May. The song cycle was composed by Raphael as the 2016 SOUNZ Community Commission for the young people’s singing group. Read more about Julian Raphael and the ACTIVE project 

Making good things at Te Manawa’s NOA

22 May 2017
“Making good things in life is what I like doing,” says Anaru Davis, co-facilitator of an art space situated in the sun-lit foyer of Palmerston North’s Te Manawa, Museum of Art, Science and History. Called NOA Open Studio, the space has been running in the museum foyer since November 2016. It’s a place where anyone in the community can join in and be creative. Read more about NOA Open Studio