Westpac Art Awards to 10 artists and a philanthropist

The Westpac New Zealand Arts Awards Arts Foundation of New Zealand

SkyCity Theatre

November 3

This week the Arts Foundation of New Zealand presented the Westpac New Zealand Arts Awards to philanthropist Professor Jack C Richards, five leading New Zealand artists including actor Cliff Curtis and composer Ross Harris, four emerging artists and Louise Potiki-Bryant who was awarded the Harriet Friedlander Award

The Arts Foundation has developed the annual awards to focus New Zealand’s attention on the achievements of artists and to reward and encourage artists with financial awards. The recipients include some of this country’s finest dancers, choreographers, musicians, composers, writers, visual artists, theatre, film practitioners and more.

Nearly half a million dollars is awarded to artists each year at the awards. Money is donated by financial members of the Arts Foundation. These patrons, who are committed Arts Foundation supporters, make annual, or in some cases one-off donations. The evening was opened with a performance by Potiki-Bryant showing her skill as dancer and choreographer in a work that combined images of creation, birth and transformation drawing on Maori, European and Asian dance forms. The ceremony concluded with Dudley Benson, performing a world premiere accompanied by electronics and a string quartet.

The awards presented were: 

 2014 Laureate Awards: ($50,000): Geoff Cochrane (writer/poet),Cliff Curtis (actor),Ross Harris (composer), Charles Koroneho (dance) and Lisa Reihana (visual arts).

New Generation Awards ($25,000): Dudley Benson (music), Star Gossage (Visual Arts), Vila Manu-Saute/Anna Pela Polataivao (Joint for Kila Kokonut Krew) (theatre).

Harriet Friedlander New York residency ($80,000): Louise Potiki-Bryant (dance)

The Award for Patronage was made to Professor Jack C Richards. The $20,000 award goes with $20,000 of his own money to make four donations of $10,000. This money goes to Gisborne International Music Competition, EIT Tairawhiti for students in the Maori Arts Programme, Te Tairawhiti Museum and a book project in honour of Arts Foundation Laureate and composer Jack Body.

Professor Richards is an internationally renowned linguist specialising in second and foreign language teaching. He has a particular love of the piano and has often commissioned work including Arts Foundation Laureate’s John Psathas and Gareth Farr. The NZ Symphony Orchestra, premiered one such commission by Farr earlier this year at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington. In May, the Tairawhiti Museum in Gisborne opened the Jack C Richards Decorative Art Gallery.

The gallery shows pieces from Professor Richards' own collection including Lalique glassware and rare Asian robes from his extensive textiles collection.

Among other initiatives Professor Richards jointly funds the Composer in Residence program at the New Zealand School of Music with Creative New Zealand, is a patron of the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation, and offers annual scholarships to students in the Toihoukura School of Contemporary Arts.

Past recipients of the New Generation Award include Eleanor Catton, who credits receiving the award with giving her the time to write the Man Booker Prize winning, The Luminaries. "The support of the Arts Foundation gave me the confidence to aim higher, to be braver, and to risk more. I hope that Arts Foundation patrons and supporters enjoy The Luminaries and take extra pride in knowing that they helped in its creation.”

Laureate Award recipient visual artist Shane Cotton said of receiving a laureate award: "Receiving a laureate award gives you confidence in what you have contributed to this point. Beyond this, it allows the journey to continue."

2014 Laureate Cliff Curtis is already looking ahead at possibilities, he said: "This award has given me such a shot of creative energy. I am in full flow setting up new projects. The award is going to be expressed through my work as a collaborator serving others to tell stories of significance and purpose through the medium of moving light pictures." 

2014 recipients were all advised several months ago by Arts Foundation Executive Director, Simon Bowden and were only able to publicly share news of their award following an official announcement at the ceremony.

The awards come as a total surprise to the artists, who are selected without application by a small panel. Arts Foundation awarded artists represent a wide variety of artistic disciplines including literature, music, visual arts, dance, film and theatre.

Westpac New Zealand recently became the naming partner of the event, in addition to being major sponsor of the Arts Foundation and lead sponsor of the foundation's crowdfunding platform, Boosted. Westpac’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Sue Foley says, “We are committed to New Zealand and believe the arts is a vital part of a healthy society. The Arts Foundation is having a profound impact on the arts in New Zealand through its awards for talented artists. We are proud to support the Westpac New Zealand Arts Awards so we can all celebrate and support New Zealand artists.”