When Marama* got up on stage to sing in Arohata Prison’s annual Christmas concert, the audience wasn’t prepared for what happened next. As she sang the Whitney Houston song I will always love you, dedicated to her children, people began to cry. By the time Marama sang her last note, tears were streaming down the faces of audience members. Keep Reading
Community art galleries, cafes and libraries in Christchurch are offering people a “unique and fresh view of the world” through art exhibitions featuring work by artists from The White Room Creative Space. Keep Reading
Opportunity Arts, a Wellington creative space, is showcasing the artwork of self-taught artists in an exhibition at Parliament’s Bowen House Gallery until 5 December. Keep Reading
What’s the role of the performing arts in the criminal justice system in New Zealand and internationally? How can the arts and culture challenge the legacies of colonialism in countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia? And how can we strengthen evidence about the value of the arts in prisons? Keep Reading
Serving a community sentence in creative spaces 30 October 2019By Antoinette Spicer“Community Art Works has helped me think outside the box, serve others and make a positive contribution to the Nelson community,” says Mark*, a young man completing his Community Corrections sentence. “Rather than complaining and feeling sorry for ... Keep Reading
Professor Peter O’Connor (The University of Auckland and The Creative Thinking Project) has been invited to Los Angeles to create a performance with arts organisations working with the city’s homeless. Author Justin Brown who will lead the documentary team will join Peter. They will collaborate with LAPD (Los Angeles Poverty... Keep Reading
“Two of our men have gorgeous, chocolatey, rich baritone voices. We have people from all walks of life: policemen, milkmen, auctioneers, business owners. Many have never sung before and in no time they are loving it,” says Angela Reimer, a speech language therapist working with members of the Cantabrainer Therapeutic Choir in Christchurch.... Keep Reading
Huakina opens new pathways for prisoners PĀNUI PĀPĀHO MEDIA RELEASE: The Learning Connexion3 October 2019 In te reo Māori, Huakina means “to open”. For prisoners in Aotearoa New Zealand, art can be a means of opening up new forms of expression and a pathway back to a life on the outside. An innovative new exhibition curate... Keep Reading
Shapeshifter, a solo retrospective exhibition by Carmen Brown, will open on Monday 7 October at Pūmanawa Gallery The Arts Centre in Christchurch. Marking Brown’s return to The Arts Centre after an absence of nearly ten years, Shapeshifter presents Brown’s unique way of seeing. It offers to Christchurch a defiant sen... Keep Reading
Aucklander Suzanne Cowan has been making a career out of dance for the past 20 years. Now, her first autobiographical solo show, Manifesto of a Good Cripple, will summarise those 20 years. Keep Reading
Hawkes Bay singer/songwriter Hinewehi Mohi led the singing of New Zealand's national anthem in te reo Māori during the closing ceremony of Te Putanga Toi Arts Access Awards 2019, where all of the recipients went on to the stage and the national anthem was sung in New Zealand’s three official languages: te reo Māori, English and New Zealand... Keep Reading
The Ministry of Education is looking for professional artists and creative practitioners to partner with schools and kura in designing creative projects for delivery over 8–20 weeks. As a creative or group of creatives, there are two ways you can get involved. Keep Reading
A Wellington exhibition, Get a Hat, Get a Head, is using hats to break down stigma around mental health and spark discussion in the wider Wellington community during Mental Health Awareness Week from 23 to 29 September. Keep Reading
Disability Pride Week 2019 will run all over New Zealand from Monday 16 September until Sunday 22 September. In Wellington, one of the groups participating will be Wellington Integrated Dance (WIDance). Nine members of WIDance will be performing on 21 September as part of Disability Pride Week. Keep Reading
Some of the men in Ruth Ratcliffe’s weekly drama group at Otago Corrections Facility find it hard to let go of their inhibitions when they first join up but gradually, the experience starts to get under their skin and they open up. Keep Reading
Arts Access Aotearoa
Te Ora Auaha
WI Dance
VALUE OF CREATIVE SPACES: 
VALUING CREATIVE SPACES: “We need to be taken seriously and acknowledged for the contribution we make to healthy communities.” Read Richard Benge’s opinion piece 
