We're seeking artists to present at Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre's annual Sculpture Festival in October this year. This year we welcome Ryan Dewsbury and Melissa Reimer who will be co-curating the festival.

Ryan Dewsbury is a jeweller, and his work is mostly minimal and influenced by the Bauhaus and De Stijl movements - drawing upon his background in architectural and computer aided design studies - he creates pieces where proportion, balance, and scale are the first consideration.

Melissa Reimer is a cultural historian and is the exhibition curator of the Tai Tapu Sculpture Garden. She is also a gallerist and freelance copywriter. Melissa is particularly interested in impressionism in the arts.

If you are interested in presenting, please read on and scroll down to the bottom of this page to submit an application by 20 April 2025.

Sculpture Festival brings together emerging and well-known artists from around Aotearoa New Zealand to present a public exhibition of contemporary sculptural works appealing to a wide range of audiences.

We aim to have over 200 works offered for sale, including large and small-scale sculpture and craft works in a range of media. We welcome ceramic, stone, glass, metal work, jewellery, installation, ngā toi Māori, Pacific and Asian artists to apply.

Works will be showcased in the Great Hall and outside in the North Quad across the festival dates of 4 - 19 October 2025. During the opening weekend, we would like to give visitors the opportunity to watch an artist demonstrating their skills and techniques or try their hand at a new skill by participating in a workshop.

All sales from Sculpture Festival will benefit both the artist and Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre, for which this is an annual fundraiser.

For general enquiries about the festival, please contact The Arts Centre's Creative Director Chris Archer at chrisa@artscentre.org.nz before 20 April 2025.