Arts & Culture

In December a wily new art organisation was launched titled Curious. Modest in size but ambitious in scope, Curious set out to bring intriguing people and events with a contemporary art focus to the Queenstown-Lakes region. They’re about to have their second free event and are welcoming Associate Professor Susan Ballard from Victoria University of Wellington to Queenstown on Saturday 22 April.

Tahuna-based classical pianist Kinga Krupa will be performing with violinist Rose Light this Friday to raise funds for the youth programmes of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition. A free performance will take place at the Atheneum Hall Arrowtown in the afternoon, and a dinner will be held at Oro Restaurant at the Carlin that evening.

Open Floor and 5 Rhythms dance facilitator Sacha Paddy will host a workshop called Tending the Flame at the end of April at Te Atamira. The one-and-a-half day conscious dance workshop will focus on dance and movement as expression rather than performance and is open to everyone – no prior experience is necessary.

A prominent member of Queenstown’s Maori community will stage a play in the resort this winter which he wrote 40 years ago to heal in the aftermath of losing someone dear to suicide.

The second annual Gibbston Valley Bridge Gathering will take place over the Easter Weekend. The social non-profit event will host enthusiasts from around Aotearoa for four days of highlining, camping, challenges and AcroYoga in front of a breath-taking backdrop.

First Thursdays Queenstown is a free community event that celebrates the diversity of arts and culture in Queenstown. This Thursday 6 April join in for a fun and friendly art crawl across six exhibition spaces showing a wide range of work.

The 11th annual Aotearoa Surf Film Festival took place in Queenstown and Wanaka last week. The event celebrated the best of surf culture and cinema, as well as connections to the environment. A curated selection of local and international surf feature films, documentaries and short films were showcased, and one in particular showed off some of what our region has to offer.

Adelaide-based Adam Page is set to perform as part of the upcoming Festival of Colour. The musician, composer, music educator and producer is is well-known for his critically acclaimed solo multi-instrumental performances. He will take the stage at the Pacific Crystal Palace next week.

Two upbeat participatory dance events are on the programme at this year’s Wānaka Festival of Colour. Celebrated dance choreographer Michael Parmenter and Balfolk Dunedin Director Kate Grace will lead the dances in Bannockburn and Wānaka at the end of March.

The tenth Wānaka Festival of Colour is hitting the streets from 26 March – 2 April. The bi-annual celebration of the arts will host international acts for the first time since 2019 and has a programme that is bursting with dance performances, live music, theatre and comedy.

The Ivy Box on the Queenstown lakefront has a new general manager and is launching a new exhibition shortly. Sian Gillanders will take the helm at the contemporary art gallery, which is home to works that stimulate the senses. Owner Lynda Hensman is excited for the future under Sian’s guidance.

The start of 2023 has been a busy one for Broker Gallery’s Founder & Director, Marc Blake. In addition to winning the supreme award at the Craigs Aspiring Art Prize, he headed up to Auckland to take part in the Aotearoa Art Fair, which ran 2-5 March, where Broker was the first ever Queenstown gallery selected to take part.

Auckland actress Cassandra Woodhouse will bring her company’s first production, Hanna, to Arrowtown and Lake Hawea from 12 March. The gripping story by Sam Potter follows a young mum who discovers that her daughter isn’t actually hers after a mix-up at the hospital. It presents an emotional look at what nature and nurture really mean.

This March Starkwhite Queenstown is opening a must-see exhibition titled SAFE which promises as many surprises as questions.

First Thursdays Queenstown is a free community event that celebrates the diversity of arts and culture in Queenstown. This Thursday 2 March join in for a fun and friendly art crawl across six exhibition spaces showing a wide range of work.

Tahuna’s Waitangi Day celebrations will this year return to Queenstown Gardens after the past couple of years of moving around to different spots. The 2023 event has a strong focus on whanau and will include live music, Kapa Haka, kai, and activities for tamariki.

First Thursdays Queenstown is a free community event that celebrates the diversity of arts and culture in Queenstown. This Thursday 2 February join in for a fun and friendly art crawl where you choose the route and the amount of time you spent at each exhibition.

From this weekend Te Atamira will host Cindy Huang’s exhibition, which is bringing to light the history of the Chinese gold miners of the Otago region. She has explored exchange, ancestry, and materiality, and created 1000 handmade porcelain lilies. The handwritten poem pictured serves as the title of the exhibition and offers some insight into the delicate process of considerations made.

For anyone who loves Mid-Century architecture, or who is now back at work but still dreaming of those summery by-the-pool vibes, head to Starkwhite to soak up Australian painter Paul Davies’ art work. Davies has three paintings in an exhibition titled Whispering Gums: Recent Australian art and will be visiting Queenstown to give an artist talk on Saturday 21st of January.

Kiwi country-pop music sensation Jackie Bristow and renowned jazz entertainers Nairobi Trio are among a stellar line-up of entertainment confirmed for this month’s inaugural Roam the Valley Wine & Food Festival.