Our work | International
Developing international markets and opportunities for visual arts
Creative New Zealand is developing its priorities around investment in international development for the visual arts. These priorities will be informed by its Strategic Plan 2007 - 2010. A visual arts reference group has been established to advise Creative Zealand on the development of an international strategy for the visual arts. All members of the reference group have experience of strategy development and/or international programming.
They are Tina Barton (Director, Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University), Rhana Devenport (director, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery), Jenny Harper (director, Christchurch Art Gallery), Gavin Hipkins (artist), Riki Manuel (artist) and Jim Vivieaere (artist and curator).
Building key contacts in Europe
As part of this work, Creative New Zealand also supported a team of visual arts professionals to attend major art events in Europe in June 2007: the Venice Biennale, four art fairs in Basel (Art Basel, Liste, Volta and Scope), Documenta (a major international exhibition that takes place once every five years) and Sculpture Projects Muenster 07 (a major outdoor sculptural project that takes place once every ten years).
The team members, selected by peer assessors and Creative New Zealand to represent the visual arts sector, all have considerable experience in international programming. They are Natasha Conland (contemporary art curator, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki), Gavin Hipkins (artist), Gary Langsford (director, Gow Langsford Gallery) and Lisa Reihana (artist). They were accompanied by Undine Marshfield, Audience and Market Development Adviser, Creative New Zealand.
"The team built and consolidated valuable international contacts and gathered extensive information that will feed into our strategy development work," Undine says.
The team also met with key international contacts to talk about opportunities for New Zealand artists and encourage these contacts to visit New Zealand to view its contemporary visual art and meet with New Zealand visual arts professionals. As a result of this work, three curators from the United Kingdom, Mike Stubbs (Director, FACT and a curator for the Liverpool Biennal), Kitty Anderson (Assoc Curator, Frieze Projects), and Gavin Delahunty (Curator, MIMA), have undertaken research trips to New Zealand in September and November 2007.
Reporting on opportunities
Since their return, the team have reported on opportunities offered by these events drawing on their knowledge of other international events when making recommendations. The report from the delegates can be downloaded from the publications section of Creative New Zealand's website.
International strategy for the visual arts
Creative New Zealand has been working with the reference group and members of the New Zealand delegation in 2007 to research and develop the international strategy for the visual arts. During this time it has been decided the strategy will consider professional development as well as market development opportunities. This is the result of recommendations of the visual arts reference group, the New Zealand Delegation and structural changes at Creative New Zealand, including the establishment of a new International Team to replace the Audience and Market Development team.
Creative New Zealand's International Team will be in place by the end of January 2008. It is expected that the international strategy for the visual arts will be finalised by mid 2008, once a new International team is in place to lead this piece of work in the context of a broader, pan-art form international strategy.
Contact
For more information about international market development for visual arts, contact Tania Heke (T: 04-499 3584).
