Creative spaces directory: Manawatu-Whanganui region

Creative spaces are community-based arts organisations and groups where people, often with limited access, can go to make art, participate in theatre, dance, music, film and creative writing. Below is a list of creative spaces in Manawatu-Whanganui, or

Please email us to update your entry, include your creative space in this directory, or make enquiries about the Creative Spaces Network.

Creative Journeys Ltd

Address: 47 The Square Edge Building Courtyard, Palmerston North 4410
Creative Journeys provides art-based day programmes for community members often excluded from conventional day-time activity. People seeking its services include people with intellectual disability; people with lived experience of mental illness; and those facing difficult personal change. Its mission is “Connecting to make magic happen”. Visit their Facebook.
Contact: Rochelle Swensson or Sheryl Cruden | 06 355 5947 |  creativej@xtra.co.nz

Creative Sounds Society (The Stomach)

Address: 84 Lombard St Palmerston North 4410

For 36 years, The Stomach has been a hub for musicians in Te Papaioea, offering affordable professional music services. Focused on original music creation, we support artists nationwide, providing rehearsal spaces, a drug and alcohol-free, all-ages venue, and a recording studio with a dedicated engineer. Our services cater to musicians of all levels and identities, fostering creativity and connection. With a robust backline for hire, we enrich our local community by nurturing talent and providing a platform for musical expression. Join us as we continue to be a social service, a creative nest, and a connecting space. Visit the website.
Contact: Abi Symes | 06 359 0120 | admin@creativesounds.org.nz

ExplorArtz, Whanganui Creative Space

Address: 61 Dublin Street, Whanganui 

Whanganui Creative Space, an Art Studio with a difference. Here you can express yourself through art alongside people who are differently abled and who are valued for their unique contribution to art and to the society of artists. Meet friends here, make friends here, learn new skills and sell your art through the Studio. There is no joining fee and no cost for tuition or materials. Currently (Feb 2024) open 3 days a week, Mon, Tue, Wed 10am until 2pm at 61 Dublin Street, Whanganui. Visit the Facebook page. 
Contact: whanganuics@gmail.com

WAI: the Women's Art Initiative

Address: c/o Square Edge Arts Centre, 47 The Square, Palmerston North 4410
WAI is a facilitated group of women who have all experienced violence and abuse. Its members are artists, activists and advocates for social change. WAI offer a free, resourced drop-in artmaking space open each Monday between 10 am and 6pm. Tea, coffee and kai are provided. The WAI studio is a safe space where women create work in a wide range of media, including clay, print, paint, sculpture, inks, textiles and paper. Every year, WAI members set a kaupapa and work towards an exhibition. Visit its Facebook page. 
Contact: Karen Seccombe, WAI Facilitator | 027 342 2448 | studio_kimbolton@outlook.com