Overview
Exciting times for Kiwi creatives are at hand – super bandwagoning from NZ art patrons and the Arts Foundation has culminated in the inaugural Macquarie Private Wealth New Zealand Arts Awards. Wanting to celebrate local artists in the same way that local sports teams have been celebrated for so long, Macquarie Private Wealth are going to throw money at artists at a red-carpet ceremony on November 29 at the Viaduct Event Centre. It’ll be a butt-load - $360,000 - and all from private patrons, to be spread between a select ten awesome-types. That rules, not just for the artists, but for art and culture in New Zealand. It’s about time we started to share the love, appreciate and encourage.
It’s a bit of a mouthful, so for now let’s call this new thing the MPWNZAAs. And because the word’s right there in the acronym, let’s use it as a descriptor: art, film and words will very soon be owning the Viaduct, as a follow-up to the awards ceremony.
Not only will there be a well-deserved event to pay tribute to the world-class talent we have in our creative sector, for those without the means to buy a ticket to that night’s festivities there’ll be a series of wicked things announced, including film screenings, concerts, word installations and pop-up bars, all in the newest cool place to be, The Wynyard Quarter. So many Kiwi creatives will feature, including Taika Waititi, Margaret Mahy, Oscar Kightley, Hone Tuwhare, Patricia Grace and Florian Habicht.
There’ll also be an information hub where punters can learn about the MPWNZAAs and their recipients, and check out the very cool TVNZ 7 doco, ‘The Artists’ (great to see respect paid to that channel, too, apparently on its way out – boo). Find out more from here.
With the good weather on the way, and with so many free events to come, it feels nice to be an Aucklander. And now with the Arts Foundation, Macquarie Private Wealth and the MPWNZAAs doing what’s right, it’s getting downright tingly.