2019 Rotorua Museum Art Awards Exhibition of Finalists

Highlighting the exceptional talent of artists throughout the Bay of Plenty, this exhibition will showcase winners and finalists from the 2019 Rotorua Museum Art Awards. The exhibition of about 50 works will be on display at the Energy Events Centre, Rotorua, from 23 October until 10 November 2019.

This year we received entries of many artworks from artists from all over the region,

The Awards will be judged by highly regarded New Zealand art curator, artist and writer, Leafa Wilson.

Wilson has been the Curator of Art at Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato since 2004 and has curated independently since 2001.

Leafa Wilson will judge four of the five award categories, and will also select the works for the exhibition of finalists.

This year’s awards include the Rotorua Museum Supreme Award with a prize of $10,000, the Friends of Rotorua Museum Emerging Artist Award with a prize of $1,000, the $1,000 Toi Ohomai Innovation in Art Award and for the first time a Lockwood Youth Award ($1,000) is open to entrants age 18 years and under.

While the exhibition is on display people can vote for their favourite artwork either in the gallery or via the Rotorua Museum Facebook page. This year the More FM People’s Choice Award will offer $500 to the artist whose work receives the most public votes in the gallery and $500 for the work with the most online votes by the end of the exhibition (10 November 2019).

Entry to the exhibition at the Energy Events Centre, Rotorua, is free and will be open daily between 10am – 4pm from 23 October until 10 November 2019 (except the exhibition will close at midday on Sunday 10 November).

Rotorua Museum will be displaying works that were not chosen for the finalist exhibition in a Salon des Refusés. This exhibition will be hosted at the Pop Up Shop (1201 Eruera Street, Rotorua) from 2 – 17 November 2019 open daily between 10am – 4pm (except for Sun 17 November when the exhibition will close at midday).

All artworks from both exhibitions will be on sale throughout the exhibition period.

For further information please contact Rotorua Museum, phone 07 350 1814 or email rotorua.museum@rotorualc.nz.