Help us create five new artists' studios to bring back the live creation of art onsite by supporting our Boost Ōtautahi crowdfunding campaign during the month of September.
As part of The Arts Foundation Boost Ōtautahi campaign your donation to the Artists' Studios project will be matched dollar for dollar by funding from Rātā Foundation and Creative New Zealand, up to $5,000.
Before the earthquake, artists’ studios were a huge draw-card at Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre, where you could enjoy watching a silversmith, painter or a woodcarver create something wonderful before your eyes. This Boost Ōtautahi project is to build a suite of five artists’ studios to be located super-centrally on the ground floor of the Engineering Extension building, the last restored heritage space to be populated onsite.
These studios will be home to working artists and open to the public to be able to walk through, interact with the artists and watch the creative process in action. There will be a kaupapa of sharing with artists also having access to art organisations or spaces on site – The Physics Room, SCAPE, the Central Arts Gallery, Pūmanawa Community Gallery and the University of Canterbury.
There is currently a dearth of affordable artist studios in central Christchurch. The earthquakes destroyed many artist workspaces in the central city. A number sprung up on the outskirts of the central city post-earthquake, however, it was the establishment of Toi Auaha that helped with bringing artists back into the cultural precinct and provides a community hub. There is a waiting list to get a space there, so we know there is demand for studios.
As well as local artists looking for a newly fitted out co-creative space in a nurturing environment, we’d anticipate Māori artists from Te Whare Tapere next door using the studios, and artists from the Creative Residency programme who live onsite for up to three months and produce work while staying in the apartments.
As part of the Boost Ōtautahi campaign your donation to the Artists' Studios project will be matched dollar for dollar by funding from Rātā Foundation and Creative New Zealand, up to $5,000.
So, if you give $50, this is matched by an additional $50, making a total donation of $100! And you can claim a 33% tax credit on your part of the donation, so it only actually costs you $34 to make a $100 difference. Magic.
Help us to turn the 3D paper plans into reality by the end of 2024 by enabling us to confidently step out with the necessary funds to get this project underway.
Thank you for considering our project!
