Key arts initiatives boosted

Press Release

 

 

A number of key Auckland arts initiatives have gained funding in the latest round of grants from the ASB Community Trust.

 

 

Just over $1m has been approved for the New Theatre Initiative’s $12.5 million project to establish a world-class, medium-sized theatre as a pre-eminent and flexible Queen St venue for contemporary performing arts.

The NTI has been working to bring the project to fruition for more than five years and the ASB Trusts have continued to support it. The latest funds come on top of a $900,000 grant toward the project made in May 2005.

ASB Trusts chief executive Jenny Gill says the NTI vision is a fine example of the forward-thinking projects the ASB Trusts want to help fund.

“We will consider supporting innovative arts and cultural projects, including public art works or programmes that aim to improve access, engagement and experience in the arts and cultural opportunities for the community,” she says.

“We are interested in funding arts and cultural festivals that will increase community access and engagement in the arts.”

The grant takes NTI’s funds to $7 million, with about $5 million more needed to build and open the theatre by late 2008.

“This is another really significant step for us,” says NTI chairman Justin Lewis. “There’s a lot of activity backstage at the moment, lots of momentum with plans to publicly launch the new theatre later this year.”

As well as the NTI grant, the ASB Trusts recently granted $6.5 million toward the Auckland Art Gallery’s major redevelopment, but important creative work is also being done by groups with smaller budgets.

Among the arts projects to gain grants in the latest funding round is $50,000 for the Aotearoa Young People’s Theatre Trust. The trust runs Massive Company, a young people's theatre company that makes great theatre by growing emerging performers and theatre practitioners.

Massive runs free theatre workshops, helping young actors develop their skills. Last year it ran a workshop in South Auckland, in conjunction with Manukau City Council, with the city’s at-risk youth. It runs a mentoring system and has been invited to take part in a unique international theatre project held in the UK in July this year: Contact the World.

Massive has spent the last six months devising Up Close Out Loud, a play about young kiwi men. Up Close Out Loud has been specially developed as part of the Contacting the World project and will debut at the Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall, 7-9 July, before going to Manchester.

“It is clear that Massive is an organisation that strives to create excellent opportunities and development for young people who are keen to make a career in the arts,” Ms Gill says.

Fifty thousand dollars has also gone to Karangahape Road’s ARTSPACE (Aotearoa) Trust,  one of the country’s key contemporary art institutions.

“ARTSPACE has helped launch and sustain the practice of many significant New Zealand artists,” Ms Gill says, “and it has also been instrumental in maintaining international dialogue – presenting key figures in international art.”

Organisers of the 2006 Tempo Dance Festival have been granted $49,921 toward the cost of the next two years’ festivals, which this year runs from October 5-15.

The Auckland Dance Festival Trust is committed to increasing audience and participation numbers for the event, which fits well with the ASB Trust’s core objectives.

“We want to support initiatives or projects that aim to raise awareness and increase wider community participation in the arts and cultural sector,” Ms Gill says. “We will support projects that aim to foster access, engagement and experience in the arts and cultural opportunities for all citizens.”  

Tempo Dance Festival organisers aim to increase attendance figures by 25% this year, from 8000 in 2004 to more than 10,000 in 2006.

Another group taking the arts out into the community, the Touch Compass Dance Trust,  has also been granted $50,000, which will help develop its advocacy role for disability issues as the dance trust prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary next year.

“The dance troupe also provides outreach programmes, allowing disabled people to actively participate in creativity and the art-making process. A future aim for Touch is that, as capacity grows, they will run more programmes and have more dancing and creative opportunities for disabled and non-disabled people to learn and share from each other,” Ms Gill says.

And the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, which promotes the arts through arts awards and educational workshops has been granted $70,000 towards running an arts programme at the Auckland Art Gallery.

In July the gallery will be displaying works of outstanding artists, including works from Peter Peryer, Michael Parekowhai, Warwick Freeman, Ronnie Van Hout, Julia Morison, Ann Robinson. The Arts Foundation will produce a range of public programmes to run alongside the exhibition.

The ASB Trusts decide on grants for projects in education, the arts, sport, recreation, health and social services areas each month. About $50 million is given to community group projects in Auckland and Northland each year. 

 

Founded on the sale of its shares in the ASB bank, the ASB Trusts have granted more than $500m since being formed in 1988. Any incorporated or charitable trust can apply for funds, provided they are a not-for-profit organisation.