The Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Trust is pleased to announce the judges for the 2011 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Awards.

Neil Buddle, trustee and Whanganui printmaker, joins Andrea Duchatenier, mixed media artist and arts lecturer also of Whanganui. The judges will select the Best in Show and two Certificates of Merit winners.

“We are very excited to again have high calibre judges to match the high calibre annual competition”, says Trust chairman Aaron Potaka. “Neil is exceptional in printmaking, one of a number of disciplines he practices. Andrea is a mixed media artist pushing the envelope in the use of media, and in her ideas realised”.

Though exempt from any prizes, the judges will also be exhibiting, offering the chance for visitors and submitting artists to see their work. Mr Potaka says this peer review is important in creating a two-way dialogue where “the judges are judged”.

The 2011 Whanganui National Art Exhibition is open to all artists living and working in New Zealand. Receiving days are September 5 to 7, 2011 at the Wanganui Community Arts Centre. Entry forms can be downloaded from www.24bar7.com  or from link below.

The Opening Function and Awards Presentation will be held at the Wanganui Community Arts Centre on Friday September 9, 5m to 8pm.

The exhibition runs until October 2.

The trust thanks their sponsors to date; The Lion Foundation, Creative Communities Wanganui District, Pub Charity, Optiv101 Fine Arts and Multimedia Studios, and Mickey's Superliquor.

The 2011 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Awards is a Real Whanganui Festival event.