Nau mai, haere mai, welcome to eyeCONTACT, a forum built to encourage art reviews and critical discussion about the visual culture of Aotearoa New Zealand. I'm John Hurrell its editor, a New Zealand writer, artist and curator. While Creative New Zealand and other supporters are generously paying me and other contributors to review exhibitions over the following year, all expressed opinions are entirely our own.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Get 'em young.


Real Art Roadshow
The Viaduct Basin
Eastern Car Park: Cnr Quay and Lower Hobson St
5 February - 7 February 10am - 4pm

This display is a real eye-opener about how resourceful some people who are passionate about art education can be. It is an amazing presentation of two trucks that tour around the remote rural schools of Aotearoa showing our kids the exciting delights of Kiwi art. These vehicles are basically collapsible art galleries on wheels. They drive into a school and set up. The floors unravel horizontally so that the space expands into a sort of light garage, and these walls magically appear bearing visual treasures.

And these shows aren’t skimpy. There is a huge range of portable art here, some big names included. Mainly wall art, understandably. Each truck has over sixty works of consistently high quality. They are chokka with the stuff. There’s no rubbish.

You don’t believe me? Well check out this brilliant website then, and look at these images, each one with its own mini-essay. These people care about communication. They want to show that art is not scary. Everybody should have access to it.

And hey, look out the window. The weather’s great isn’t it? Come on down to the waterfront, smell that sea air, climb on board these trucks and experience some terrific art directly.

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