Congratulations to the recipient of the 2009 Arts Foundation of New Zealand Award for patronage, presented by Perp

Congratulations to the recipient of the 2009 Arts Foundation of New Zealand Award for patronage, presented by Perpetual Trust - Adrienne, Lady Stewart from Christchurch, and to her selected donation recipients.  Congratulations, also, to the recipient of the 2009 Governors’ Award - the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery.  The Arts Foundation celebrated with the recipients of these Awards at a special event held at the Christchurch Art Gallery on Monday, 20 July.

A motivated advocate for private support of the arts, Adrienne, Lady Stewart was given $20,000 by the Arts Foundation to distribute to artists or arts projects, of her choice, to celebrate the Award. As recipients of the Award have done previously, Adrienne, Lady Stewart announced she would double the fund and donate $40,000 ($10,000 each) to four, high-profile recipients: Raewyn Hill (Choreographer and Artistic Director), Holly Mathieson (Conductor), Philip Norman (Composer), and the Art & Industry Biennial Trust. 

The annual Award for Patronage recipient is selected by Arts Foundation Trustees and honours philanthropists who actively contribute to the arts in New Zealand.  Private support is crucial to the survival of the arts and the Foundation hopes this Award will inspire others to donate in the same manner.

Raewyn Hill will have a new work premiered as part of the Christchurch Arts Festival.  Finders Keepers, plays from 23rd – 26th July, 7:30pm (except 26th – 7:30pm), The Great Hall, Arts Centre of Christchurch. http://www.artsfestival.co.nz/show/14/finders-keepers.aspx

Holly Mathieson has prepared the Chorus section of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream being performed at the Christchurch Festival, 23 July to 9 August.  www.artsfestival.co.nz/show/12/a-midsummer-nights-dream.aspx.  She is also preparing the Chorus for the Southern Opera’s Magic Flute to be performed in September/October. www.southernopera.co.nz.

Philip Norman has a premiere of a song cycle, A New Sky, at Labour weekend in Nelson, commissioned and performed by the National Male Choir of New Zealand, who is celebrating its tenth anniversary.  The Choir will tour the cycle of five songs in Europe, 2010.  Philip is also working with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra on a concert celebrating Margaret Mahy’s (Icon) work, scheduled as a Christmas concert, 12 December at the Christchurch Town Hall. He has written the music for the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s production of Peter Pan, choreographed by Russell Kerr (Icon), touring New Zealand 30 October – 10 December. http://www.nzballet.org.nz/season/peter-pan. Philip’s songs will feature in this year’s Auckland and Christchurch Schools of Music Festivals and he has set the music and lyrics for the Roger Hall (AFNZ Governor) play, Dirty Weekends, presently in performance at Playhouse Theatre, Auckland West, to Saturday 25th July.

Art & Industry Biennial Trust will present SCAPE 2010, the 6th biennial, from 24 September – 7 November 2010, in Christchurch.

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Selected by Arts Foundation Governors, the Governors’ Award recognises an individual or institution that has contributed in a significant way to the development of the arts and artists in New Zealand.

Governors acknowledged the commitment by the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery to the cause of contemporary art, particularly from New Zealand. Governors noted that the Gallery has unswervingly followed a path of presenting leading edge contemporary art and that a succession of able directors has brought to New Plymouth a programme that one might more readily have expected in one of New Zealand’s larger cities.  http://www.govettbrewster.com.

The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery is exhibiting China in Four Seasons:  Jin Jiangbo until 6 September; Photo Histories: Mark Adams, Bruce Connew and John Miller to 30 August; and Mieke Gerritzen:Beautiful World until 6 September.  The largest Len Lye exhibition ever, has just opened at the prestigious Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACME) in Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia.  A collaboration between ACME and the Govett-Brewster, the exhibition presents a new and invigorating look at one of New Zealand’s most significant and singular modern artists, Len Lye (1901 – 1980).