Art Feeds: Napier pizza shop and local art gallery come together to raise money for Nourished for Nil

Vincent Michaelsen, of Vinci's Pizza, and Richard Boyd-Dunlop, of Boyd-Dunlop Gallery, holding an entry to the inaugural art on a pizza box competition at Boyd-Dunlop Gallery, Napier.

Next time you pick up your favourite slice of Vinci’s pizza, take home a pizza box to decorate as part of Vinci’s and Boyd-Dunlop Gallery’s Art Feeds fundraiser for Nourished for Nil.

All you have to do is pick up a box from Vinci’s, create some amazing artwork and then hand the box back into the Boyd-Dunlop Gallery in 4 Hastings St, Napier.

Pizza box submissions close on June 28, then up to 20 finalists will be selected by judge Jim Mitchell, of Mambo, and the winners will be announced on Friday, June 30, on the Boyd-Dunlop Gallery Facebook Page.

However, if you have missed out on the artistic fun, you still have a chance to be a part of the fundraiser because the top pizza box art pieces will be displayed at Arcade Gallery and Vinci’s Pizza where punters can bid to own in a silent auction running from July 1-15.

All proceeds from the auctioned artworks will be donated to Nourished for Nil Hawke’s Bay, which will allocate the funds where they are needed.

Being symbiotic businesses and trading across the road from each other, it was a no-brainer for Vinci’s and Boyd-Dunlop Gallery to collaborate on this midwinter fundraiser.

Boyd-Dunlop gallery director Elisa Boyd-Dunlop explained the two local businesses thought this would be a nice way to get together and involve the community in an art project, to bring a bit of fun and local talent into their workdays.

Vinci’s owner Vincent Michaelsen added that “pizza being so accessible and also so imbued with popular culture, the pizza box felt like an ideal canvas for community engagement”.

The community has really engaged with the pizza box competition. Whole classes of kids and people in workplaces have taken up the challenge, along with many local artists. More than 200 boxes have been picked up for painting so far.

“There will be some really great pieces that come from the competition with many interpretations of the loose brief ‘put your art on a pizza box’.

“It will be fun to come and see what people have done and pick your favourite and if you love the artwork enough to take home with you, you can place a bid for a great cause,” Boyd-Dunlop said.

There is a number of spot prizes up for grabs and the overall winner will receive a year’s worth of pizza and a Jim Mitchell print.

The winners and finalists will be judged on June 29 and announced via social media on June 30, then the finalists’ artworks will be displayed and available to view and bid on at Vinci’s Pizza and Arcade Gallery, 6 Hastings St, Napier.

Due to the high engagement, Boyd-Dunlop said they will be selecting the top 20-30 art pieces as judged by Jim Mitchell.

The pizza boxes will be displayed in Arcade Gallery as well as at Vinci’s Pizza. Visitors can bid by auction leaving their details and the price willing to pay to purchase, the bidding will be displayed alongside the pizza box to encourage as much engagement as possible.

The highest bidder will be selected to purchase the artwork at the end of the auction with 100 per cent of the sale price donated to Nourished for Nil Hawke’s Bay.

There is still a chance to be involved if you want to pick up your pizza box from Vinci’s Pizza, 29a Hastings St, Napier by June 24. Last day to return the box will be June 28.