Active Arts celebrates 50th with exhibition
24 April 2015
Fifty years of creativity is being celebrated with an exhibition by a local visual art group at Taupo Museum next month.
Active Arts Taupo have created artworks from a variety of materials - there are pottery and knitted birds, felted flowers, pottery and painted porcelain vases, bookmarks made by spinners and canvases created by painters, felters and decorative artists.
The group was formed in 1965 and today its 100 members are divided into seven disciplines: creative clay, decorative art, porcelain art, painting, knitting, felting and spinning and weaving. Almost 40 artists have contributed to the exhibition, for which production began about six months ago.
The group's longest standing member, Olive Parkin, said Active Arts' benefits extended well beyond the creation of art. Membership and participation offer wonderful companionship and friendships, she said. Active Arts has been a teaching centre for 50 years, offering a wide range of art and craft interests.
Originally called Taupo Society of Arts, Active Arts has grown into a group with its own headquarters in Riverside Park. It changed its name in 2007 and now uses the building seven days a week for workshops, club sessions, student school holiday programmes and an art school.
The exhibition runs from May 2 to June 15. Taupo Museum is open seven days from 10am to 4.30pm. Entry is free to children and Taupo District residents with proof of address.
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For further information contact:
Kerence Stephen
Exhibitions Officer Taupō Museum
Ph 376 1583
kstephen@taupo.govt.nz
www.taupo.govt.nz
