Golden Bay Community
ARTS COUNCIL

" To Develop and Strengthen Community through the Creative Arts and Ngā Toi "

OUR MISSION:

The Golden Bay Community Arts Council is committed to supporting arts and culture in Golden Bay, by:

Organising, supporting and/or promoting a diverse range of local arts and cultural events, activities and workshops.
Helping to promote arts and cultural events/activities/workshops organised by others, taking place within Golden Bay or the wider Nelson-Tasman region.
Assisting local artists, artisans, creative practitioners and arts-related groups to prepare funding applications to Creative Communities or other local, regional and national funders.
Providing access to resources, equipment, professional development and exhibition opportunities that support professional artists and other creative practitioners in Golden Bay.
Providing opportunities for the local arts community to network and share information, ideas and resources.
Working with other local organisations to increase the local community’s awareness of, respect for and participation in the arts, and to promote Golden Bay as an ‘arts destination’.

OUR VALUES:

Broad-based leadership - to champion arts and culture, to support the development of local arts and artists, and to provide positive, effective leadership and advocacy for the arts and artists in Golden Bay.

Integrity - individually and collectively, we aim to be fair, respectful, open and consistent in our interactions with others, both inside and outside the organisation, and manage the resources entrusted to us diligently and prudently.

Cooperation – we welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with other individuals, groups and organisations to strengthen the arts, support artists, and to increase the range, quality and accessibility of arts-related opportunities in Golden Bay. We view different perspectives as strength rather than a weakness, and strive to utilise our combined skills and ideas to best advantage.

Excellence - to deliver high-quality events, projects, activities and support through a commitment to ongoing evaluation of our activities and processes, welcoming constructive feedback from inside and outside the organisation.

Advocacy and Promotion - of local arts and artists.

THE COUNCIL:

John Coulter - Council Chairperson
John is sonic artist and instrument maker who lives in Collingwood with his partner Sheridan and daughter Sequoia. His creative interests include: live music, multichannel acousmatic music, environmentally-driven music and art, instrument making, and sound therapy. John has worked as a Senior Lecturer in Music at the University of Auckland for 18 years, presented his work in several countries throughout the world, hosted several international conferences, received awards for his artwork and been published in journals internationally.
He is currently completing his book Ear to the Earth: Artmaking with Sound and building a sound studio at his family home.

Marg Braggins - Council Member (Golden Bay Promotion Association (GBPA) Representative)
Marg loves the concept of art in the community - people who create the art as well as people who watch it, listen to it, read it, hear it and enjoy it. Marg has a background in teaching and publishing - founding the Geraldine News in 1992 with her partner Neil Wilson, then together purchasing the Golden Bay Weekly in 2002 where they made significant changes till they sold it to the current owners in 2017. Marg owns the Pohutukawa Gallery Takaka and is the current chairperson of the GBPA.

Brian Cooper - Council Member (previous Council Chairperson)
Brian has spent most of his working life building things of one kind or another. Having lived 36 years in the Bay over the last 20 years he has specialised in solid timber furniture and alongside his wife Karen ran their own art gallery Weka Workshop. With the galley now closed he enjoys being creative with other mediums, particularly metal. Karen and Brian have 11 grandchildren between them, 10 of whom live in the Bay so spending time with them is high on his priority list. Brian enjoys being on the Arts Council and the dynamic team it has at the moment helps to inspire his own artistic endeavours. This is the second time Brian has been on the council.
Brian was the Supreme Winner of Bay Arts in 2022 with his piece the "Zombie Truck".

THE ARTS WORKERS:

Claire French - Arts Worker (CCS, Lotteries and COGS Contracts)
Claire has been with the GBCAC since March 2021. She is passionate about supporting and creating experiences and events, running her own business Wonder-Full. Claire has a background in dance, event management, circus performances, retreat and workshop facilitation and pyrotechnics!
Since taking over the Arts Council contract Claire has been successful in securing a wide range of funding, creating a welcoming Arts Council office, building a fantastic team, creating a number of mind blowing community events, projects and workshops, and provided support to local artists and the community in general.

Gary Smith - Arts Worker (MCH Contract)
Gary was born in Christchurch but in recent years has lived in Northern Buller and currently lives at Riverside Community with his partner Samaya and his three sons. With a background in Social Anthropology and Psychology over the last 15 years he has developed skill sets around event management and working with the subtle energy body. Gary has also worked with local theatre groups, run film workshops for youth, provides sound and stage management services at multiple festivals and works with musicians, visual artists, videographers and photographers to have a presence at local events through his own business KSM Productions. Gary has a strong relationship with the Conscious Dance community helping produce quality soundscapes at local events.

HISTORY AND LEGALITIES:

The Golden Bay Community Arts Council (GBCAC) is an incorporated society and registered charity established to promote and support arts and culture in the wider Golden Bay area. It has operated as a voluntary, not-for-profit advocacy group since 1984, and was formally incorporated on 7 January 2000.

The structure, conduct and purpose of the organisation is set out in and governed by the GBCAC constitution

GBCAC keeps formal financial accounts.

An AGM is held once a year to elect the organisation’s board of trustees and select a Chairperson and Treasurer.

Incorporated Society registration number: CRY100968S

Charitable status registration number: CC21408 (registered 28 February 2008)

Golden Bay Community Arts Council is the main arts and culture-related umbrella body in the Golden Bay region.

The Arts Council has a duty to provide a representative for the Golden Bay region to the Creative Communities Scheme Funding Panel.

Saturday 21st - Sunday 29th October 2023
Golden Bay High School Hall, Takaka

BAY ART is an annual exhibition and awards event run by the Golden Bay Community Arts Council with the aim to encourage and recognise the diverse range of high quality artwork produced by amateur and professional artists and artisans resident in Golden Bay. Attracting nationally recognised judges and featuring a number of categories BAY ART has been running since 1987 and is a huge favourite on the local arts and cultural calendar, regularly attracting over 100 entries and many hundreds of visitors to the region over exhibition week.

YOUNG @ ART is a non-competitive exhibition for Golden Bay young folk aged 5 - 17 years which runs in conjunction with BAY ART, with the option for youth aged 12 - 17 years to enter the judged BAY ART event in the Youth Award category.

Important Dates:
Entries Close: Monday 16th October 2023
Delivery of Entries: Wednesday 18th October 2023 between 1 and 5:30pm
Curating of Exhibition: Thursday 19th October 2023
Judging: Friday 20th October 2023
Grand Opening and Prize Giving: Friday 20th October at 5.30pm (doors open 4.30pm)
Exhibition Open: Saturday 21st - Sunday 29th October from 10am - 4pm daily
Peoples Choice Award and Closing: Sunday 29th October at 4pm
Entries Pickup: Sunday 29th October between 4pm - 5pm (in person)

Categories:
Two Dimensional Art: painting, printmaking, mixed media, photography, and digital art.
Three Dimensional Art: sculpture made of stone, ceramics, wood, glass, metal, mixed media, fibre art and jewellery.

* Additional category prizes awarded at judges discretion.

Professional Works: all medium with entry criteria by personal choice
Youth Award: all medium and open to youth aged 12-17 years of age.

An overall winner will be chosen in each category and can include awards for highly commended works.
A generous prize pool (around $5,000 - $7,000) of money and gifts will be awarded across the exhibition at the discretion of the judges.

Keep up to date with the latest information on our Facebook Event Page.

Entry Form