Arts Blog
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When creative sparks fly in our communities
It’s been a busy month of meetings and events – from the launch of the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Hansel and Gretel season and its audio described performances to the annual fundraising Pablos Art Auction, an Opportunity Arts exhibition in Parliament, an Arts Access Aotearoa board meeting and a meeting with Minister Carmel Sepuloni.
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Welcome to the new Arts in Corrections Advisor
I’m very pleased to announce that we have a new Arts in Corrections Advisor, who started at Art Access Aotearoa on Monday 25 February.
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Research to strengthen the case for creative spaces
The impact of arts and creativity on the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities is a much-discussed topic at the moment. For those of us working in the arts, we constantly see, hear and read about examples of this impact. We just know!
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Unlocking creativity within prisoners
What I’ve seen around my time in the Department over the past 14 years is just how truly talented many of the people who come into our care are. Te Putanga Toi Arts Access Awards 2018 and the two Corrections awards that were presented there are a testament to their...
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Whakairo gifted to Oranga Tamariki
Kyle Ellison is an Instructor at Hawkes Bay Regional Prison. In February, he spoke at the powhiri in Oranga Tamariki Ministry for Children in Wellington, where seven carvings by men in Unit 7 of Hawkes Bay Regional Prison were gifted to the Ministry.
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Reshaping lives at Mix creative space
Outside, the rain has finally stopped and the sky begun to lighten. In here, a radio burbles quietly in the corner and five people have their heads bent over the art pieces they are working on.
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Open access to high-quality dance
As part of a programme Footnote New Zealand Dance began in 2016 in partnership with Arts Access Aotearoa, we’ve been working on building conversations around accessibility into the planning of our New Zealand tours, whenever possible.
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When words paint pictures
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.
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Wellington Museum champions accessibility
In 2014 we were at the beginning of our accessibility journey. At the same time, our thinking around Wellington Museum’s proposed exhibition - The Attic - was taking shape.
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Tools for writing workshops in prisons
Early on in a UK prison writing residency, I was contacted by a local theatre about to produce Timberlake Wertenbaker’s play, Our Country’s Good, a drama set in the Sydney penal colony of 1788. The director wanted to bring the actors into the prison to do some work for the benefit of both the prisoners and his cast.
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Art as a path to redemption
Because I have seen proof, I have no doubt that art making and creative expression can change the life of prisoners who have access to art materials, classes, tutors, instruments and studio space. We are fortunate the Department of Corrections in New Zealand also understands this.
