"It has fuelled my creativity, empowered me to do something constructive and improved my sense of wellbeing massively."

The response from creative spaces throughout New Zealand to the Government’s $18 million fund for creative spaces has been “overwhelmingly positive”, says Hannah Dahlke, one of two funding advisors at Arts Access Aotearoa. Keep Reading

“Funding creative spaces will support new jobs and expand existing roles to help build a more sustainable sector and skilled workforce,” said Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni, in a media release announcing the $18 million fund over three years to support creative spaces. Keep Reading

Kim Morton, director of Ōtautahi Creative Spaces, an arts and mental health organisation from Christchurch, has received a Churchill Fellowship to research arts on prescription. Keep Reading

Antoinette Spicer is a second-year journalism student at the New Zealand Broadcasting School in Ōtautahi Christchurch. For her independent projects, she is creating a five-part podcast series on art initiatives and programmes that improve New Zealanders’ wellbeing.  Keep Reading

There is a silver lining in the Covid 19 cloud. Our experience during lockdown has been a catalyst for a seismic shift in how we work; to complement our physical studio, we will take our studio to the artists - plans are afoot for a virtual studio space, a meeting place for artists. Keep Reading

Rebecca McNab's works in her exhibition Modern Mythos introduce some lesser known myths and considers their underlying messages. The Christchurch artist has been part of Otautahi Creative Spaces’ Room 5 artists collective for the past three years. Keep Reading

Inked is a collaboration between Rebecca McNab and Graham Lalor. Both artists are part of Otautahi Creative Spaces’ Studio Room 5 at the Phillipstown Community Hub. Having exhibited in many group exhibitions, Rebecca and Graham are delighted to present Inked, an exhibition of recent work, at Linwood Library. Keep Reading

Shapeshifter, a solo retrospective exhibition by Carmen Brown, will open on Monday7 October at Pūmanawa Gallery The Arts Centre in Christchurch.Marking Brown’s return to The Arts Centre after an absence of nearly ten years,Shapeshifter presents Brown’s unique way of seeing, offering to Christchurcha defiant sense of place, ... Keep Reading

Staying well in a world that can be confronting and confusing is of vital importance and so it was fantastic back in May this year when the Government announced a $1.9 billion boost in funding to help address the growing mental health crisis in New Zealand. Mental health touches everyone: our families and communities in rural areas, across all... Keep Reading

A new exhibition, Phoenix, will open on Saturday 6 July at Tūranga in Christchurch’s Cathedral Square and will celebrate how creativity and wellbeing are interwoven. Keep Reading