by Helen Martin
Thanks to the hard work of organising committee Kura Geere-Watson, Jo Dixey and Denise Marshall, Arts in the Ville, Helensville’s annual celebration of its artists, will again be held over the three days of Labour Weekend in October. It’s a fantastic event, which not only showcases the fact that our little town punches well above its weight in terms of the numbers of local people making art, it also demonstrates the quality and variety of the work produced, including painting, millinery, wood carving, yarn bombing, stitching, sculpture, photography and much more.
From modest beginnings, the celebration continues to grow as more and more people line up to join in. Locals and out-of-towners will have the opportunity to meet local artists in their studios and talk to them about how they work. Some of the work will be on sale. There will be the usual pop-up exhibitions, including sculptures made from materials from the recycling centre, which will be exhibited at the former Art Centre behind the old Art Stop Cafe.
There will be gardens to admire, music to enjoy and demonstrations of carving, spinning, knitting, felting and weaving will be on at the Helensville Museum all weekend. On Sunday (October 22) there will be a charity art auction, run by Helensville Women and Family Centre, in the Memorial Hall from 4pm.
The North West District Business Association has generously sponsored Arts in the Ville map, which will be available from several venues in the town, including the studios, pop-up galleries, cafes, the museum and the meeting room by the library.
Sound good? See you there!!
