Art show, auction aims to help young Northlanders into art careers

Lydia Bailie-Bellew, a Year 13 art student at Kerikeri High School, is one of five young artists who will feature in the upcoming KidsmART exhibition. Photo / Claire Gordon

An upcoming exhibition and silent auction at Kerikeri's Turner Centre aims to help five young artists into creative careers.

The show, from February 25 to March 10, has been organised by Waipapa's Claire Gordon, until recently chairwoman of the Be Free youth music mentoring programme.

Through Be Free she'd got to know many young people in the Bay of Islands, in particular several talented teenagers hoping to further their studies in the visual arts.

Most were starting Year 13 at high school while one had been accepted to the degree course at Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design in Auckland.

However, to keep honing their talent and to make sure their work could be seen, they needed money for materials such as canvases and paint as well as extra courses to help them into tertiary arts education.

To help them out Gordon was organising a series of KidsmART exhibitions in which visitors could bid on their works.

All proceeds from the silent auctions would go to the young artists' creative education.

''It's a great way to support and encourage these young artists. Who knows, you might be purchasing pieces by one of New Zealand's next great masters,'' she said.

An artwork by Hector Danilo, a Year 13 student at Kerikeri High School, which will be part of the exhibition. Photo / Claire Gordon

The first five artists to be showcased are Lola Duhart, Hector Danilo, Lydia Bailie-Bellew, Hannah Collins and Sofia Mikhailiadis.

Lydia, who is in Year 13 at Kerikeri High School, said she'd been passionate about art all her life but only started using pastel and acrylic paint in the past few years.

''What really motivates me is people. I love representing the personalities of everyone I paint through different colours and tones, as well as trying to accurately capture their expressions to give each piece an atmosphere,'' she said.

Lydia Bailie-Bellew, a Year 13 art student at Kerikeri High School, is one of five young artists who will feature in the upcoming KidsmART exhibition. Photo / Claire Gordon

The opening will be held on February 25 in two sessions, 6.30pm-7.30pm and 7.30pm-8.30pm.

Due to gathering size limits under the Covid red light setting, anyone keen to attend should email Gordon at flashgordon.claire@gmail.com to register.

The show would then be open to the public at the Turner Centre on Cobham Rd from 9am to 2pm daily until March 10.

Another two KidsmART exhibitions and silent auctions later this year, at Matariki and in spring, would feature more young artists.