by Helen Martin
A good crowd turned out for the December gala opening of Kaipara Coast Sculpture Gardens’ 2017 exhibition of work from local and international artists, Under Kaipara Skies.
Entertainment from The Puhoi Ramblers and a generous supply of canapé’s,
champagne, beer, lemon squash and strawberries created just the right mood for guests to set off on the walk through the beautiful gardens to appraise and enjoy the impact of the 40-plus new sculptures.
As always, the work has been installed to its best advantage, with each site carefully chosen and each sculpture accompanied by a plaque, where the artist has the opportunity to describe their motivation, materials and methods. One of the pleasures of first seeing the sculptures at the gala event was in sharing the experience with others - artists, organisers and members of the public. After the walk visitors, accompanied by more lively Puhoi Ramblers music, compared notes over wood-fired pizzas.
The opening was excellent, but if you missed it don’t worry, the exhibition is on until the end of October 2017. It really is worth a visit.
