Arts policy puts city in national picture

ROCKY HORROR: Riff Raff stands tall at its inner-city site. (PETER DRURY/Waikato Times)

Source: Waikato Times print edition

26 July 2005 

Like it or loathe it, Hamilton's art in public places policy has won the city a major national arts award. MARY ANN GILL reports.

Hamilton has won a major national award for an arts policy which resulted in two significant pieces of art being erected in the city.

The Creative Places Award for city and regional councils was to be presented to Mayor Michael Redman today at the Local Government New Zealand conference in Christchurch.

Creative New Zealand said the council's arts in public places policy contributed to the creation of a unique identity for Hamilton.

It resulted in the inner-city Riff Raff statue and Nga Uri o Hinetuparimaunga at Hamilton Gardens.

The sites chosen were both significant. Riff Raff is on the site of the demolished Embassy Theatre while the stoneworks sculpture is on SH1 at the entrance to the gardens.

The locations and commissions occurred in an environment where no significant public art contributions had been made in 15 years.

Community and leisure committee chair Pippa Mahood said she was thrilled with the honour.

"I just think this is a very visible way Hamilton shows its diversity and coming of age."

The two statues were two diverse examples of art, she said. "We've gone from Bob Jones' cows to Riff Raff. We're building a visual diversity. This is an award the city well deserves."

The four Creative Places Awards are presented annually by Creative New Zealand to recognise local authorities and council organisations that have enhanced the social, economic and cultural wellbeing of their communities through the arts.

The categories were arts provision (New Plymouth, Hamilton), commissions and public artworks (Mackenzie), built environment (Auckland Regional Council, Waitakere City) and cultural festival and arts events (New Plymouth for TSB Festival of Lights, Waitakere for trash to fashion awards).

New Plymouth District Council won the overall premier creative places awards for the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery.

It is now the leading contemporary art museum in the South Pacific.

It won $10,000 towards the commissioning of a new public artwork while Hamilton won an artwork by Paul Maseyk.

Creative New Zealand's Paddy Austin said the awards acknowledged local government's huge investment and commitment to the arts.

"The awards are also a way in which we can celebrate the wonderful and innovative arts projects happening in communities throughout New Zealand with local government support," she said.