Council staff show off artistic talents at exhibition

THREE of Horowhenua District Council's creative staff who will exhibit their art in February, from left, Gill Allen, Ellise Buckley and Awhina Tamarapa

Horowhenua District Council staff will bare their creative souls to unveil the human face of council at an art exhibition on display at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po in February.

The exhibition will include 14 entries of paintings, photography, prints, pottery, wood carvings and much more.

Horowhenua District Council's principal adviser - culture and exhibitions Awhina Tamarapa will be one employee to showcase her art at the exhibition. Based on her identity as a Maori woman, Mrs Tamarapa's art is an expression of her inner vision.

AWHINA Tamarapa's art is based on culture and identity as a Maori woman.

She said that her art draws on the past, to bring her vision into the present, for the future.
"Art is in the way I view the world and approach people. It's something I like to share professionally and personally," she said.

"My art is part of my career as a curator, it's my practice to bring art into people's realm of understanding, both visually or through expressing concepts and ideas."

Tamarapa said the world needs artists to imagine a future that's possible and to think outside the square.

"The exhibition is aimed to show the community that there are really talented dynamic and extraordinary people that work for council," she said.

"It's important for the community to understand that council doesn't sit behind their computers and think about policies and processes, there is human interaction that is so important to our work, for people to understand that behind that face there is a person dying to inspire people and provide something positive for the community."

She said the wide variety displayed at the exhibition was bound to wow viewers.

"Council graphic designers are putting in some of their mixed media designs which are sensational. Let's just hope this is the start of other things."