Lower Hutt artists welcome Lounge Gallery

23 July 2009

The warm and friendly atmosphere at Take 5 & Te Whare Marama in Lower Hutt now extends to its new art gallery, Lounge Gallery, opened in June and providing opportunities for its artists to exhibit and sell their work.

Established in response to the needs of Take 5 & Te Whare Marama artists, Lounge Gallery provides a place where its artists can invite visitors to view the range of artwork being created on the site.

A grant from Hutt Mana Energy Trust early in 2008 kick-started the project and resulted in freshly painted walls, leather sofas and a lighting system. A further grant from Hutt City Council Creative Communities later in the year went towards the purchase of the gallery hanging system.

Stephanie Cairns, Manager of Take 5 & Te Whare Marama, says having a gallery has been a dream for a long time but limited resources meant that an offsite gallery seemed out of reach.

“The suggestion of creating a gallery in our own lounge space, along with the grants, has seen the dream come to fruition,” she says.

The first exhibition, aptly titled We’ve only just begun ... features artwork from 18 of the artists who work from the onsite art studios. New exhibitions are scheduled to open every seven or eight weeks, with the opening exhibition running until late August.

Each time a new exhibition opens, the gallery will be open on that Friday night and then on the Saturday.  Members of the public are invited to visit at these times; on any Tuesday between 4pm and 5pm; and at other times by arrangement.

Chris Brown, Arts Co-ordinator for Take 5 & Te Whare Marama, says that more than 40 visitors came through the gallery on its first opening weekend. “It was a very pleasing start to this new venture and we’re hoping the interest will grow as we build our profile.”

For more information, contact:
Stephanie Cairns, Manager
Chris Brown, Arts Co-ordinator
Take 5 & Te Whare Marama
212 Knights Rd
Lower Hutt
T: 04 569 3162
F: 04 569 3170
Email:
W: www.huttcity.com/Home/tabid/1994/language/en-NZ/Default.aspx