Hannah Borck and Penelope MacDuff run new Waihi art hub Edit on Seddon. Photos / Rebecca Mauger
Hannah Borck and Penelope MacDuff run new Waihi art hub Edit on Seddon. Photos / Rebecca Mauger
Girlbosses Hannah Borck and Penelope MacDuff have started an art hub — Edit on Seddon — in the Victorian hall at 65 Seddon St.
Waihi residents may have noticed an old building along Seddon St has had an elegant makeover.
Edit on Seddon is one of the the town's newest businesses and is in the old Victorian hall beside Martha Court.
''It used to be The Art Market and it has always been a very creative building. We wanted to continue that,'' says managing director Hannah Borck. ''Our vision was to put something in here that would serve the community.''
The 65 Seddon St building has been ''zhuzhed up'' with the orange exterior painted black and white. The trim is black including its regal-looking bracket decorations.
''All the work we've done has bought elegance back to the building,'' Hannah says.
Hannah and Stewart Coulson bought the heritage building last year in search of an endeavour with a community focus. Hannah and Penelope MacDuff (creative director) launched Edit on Seddon together in the new space.
Penelope and Hannah met at a mums' coffee group in Waihi Beach. They soon realised their peers were artistically blessed and got chatting about creating a space for artists to create and sell their work.
A workshop space for the public to learn from artists and craftspeople.
Penelope's background is in art and has studied jewellery and metalsmithing. She has her own label, Penelope M.
With husband Dougal and their children Beau, 5, Edie, 4, and Ever, 2, she moved to Waihi Beach three years ago.
Hannah is also a mum of three — Luka, 14, Billy, 6, and Nina, 5. She's studying towards a diploma in interior design and does some interior design contract work.
Together, they've also created their own clothing and homeware label Edited.
Penelope says they feel so lucky to have their vision up and running and so well supported.
''We can't believe we get to do this. And we are so grateful for all the support that we receive.''
Penelope and Hannah have their own clothing and homeware label Edited.
Edit on Seddon Edit on Seddon is an art hub where artists can sell their work and give workshops to teach the public their craft. It serves as a place for the public and makers to mingle.
Hannah wanted the name Edit as it pointed to their process of selecting and presenting high-end artwork and quality product.
''We work with local makers and we present our edit to the public. Our business model is evolving. We have studio partitions for artists but right now we are working on making a creative environment.''
Penelope says they try to keep it as affordable as possible.
Workshops of every description — painting, pottery, sewing, weaving, plants, candle making — are held here. School holiday workshops debuted in July were a huge success, Penelope says.
An outdoor area will undergo some work with a view to offer events and private functions.
65 Seddon St The Victorian hall was built around 1895 and is a Historic Places Trust category 2.
It has historical significance for Waihi and Waitekauri.
Mining in Waitekauri began to boom around 1895, when the Waitekauri Miners' Union Hall was built.
In September 1903 the Waihi Baptist Church was founded and in 1946 the hall was moved to Waihi to be its church.
