"During the lockdown I have loved the opportunity to watch online theatre art and concert performances, and participate in arts-based workshops both locally and from all around the globe.
"Having never been involved in organising an online event before I am excited about new possibilities through doing this."
Jill says the ArtsMAD team thanks all those helping to make this virtual event happen, "so we are able to inspire and connect while keeping our community safe and observing social distancing".
"In particular, The Arts Village for their significant contribution in making this virtual event possible, the presenters, local performer Glenys Courtney Strachan and The Prince's Gate Hotel.
"It is hoped ArtsMAD will be back to an in-person event in the near future, and the team thank everyone for their support of the arts in Rotorua during these times."
Rotorua Lakes Council community arts adviser Marc Spijkerbosch says the ArtsMad event has been running for more than a decade and has enjoyed all sorts of inspirational stories from a huge range of local hidden talent.
"We'd often thought about capturing these fast-paced gems for posterity so the lockdown environment provided us the perfect excuse.
"ArtsMad deserves a wider reach so more of our community can experience the magic."
He says they have seen the event grow in popularity over the years into a 'standing-room only' situation, so a virtual platform is a natural and welcomed progression.
Marc says the technical set-up may have brought them some challenges, but fortunately they have the "in house" talent and drive on the ArtsMad team to make this all happen as smoothly as possible.
"Fortunately, since we only hold four events every year, lockdown levels have only meant a small delay this time.
"This is a much-loved event that was never going to be allowed to disappear."
He says Jill has a wonderful long-standing connection with Rotorua's creative community, and her fostering of the event had become a legacy of commitment and passion.
"It's a delightful way to connect with and open our eyes to the incredible talent in our community.
"ArtsMad is fast-paced, inspirational, and delivered in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere
"You will often find yourself clapping at the end of a six-minute talk and gasping 'wow' out loud."
ArtsMad speakers
Martyn Evans is involved with StepAhead Art Therapy Group with a current exhibition at Third Place Cafe.
As MartynEvans Art, Tiana Hodge and himself have just started an art class at Whare Whakaue.
"We run a Thursday night market Colouring Corner (except during the cold months) and we are both in the Lake Road Tavern Sports Bar '8 ball' team.
He is also part of the African Drumming Group, Sunset Primary kapa haka, Maori Party kapa haka, and Te Kuirau Marae kapa haka, and sings Waiata at Te Kuirau marae.
Lani Eyles and Nicola Bennett are local working artists. They have also both taught art to children for more than 10 years.
They have recently created Doodlebug Art Time, with the aim to reach more children than they can teach on a one-to-one basis.
Trojan John was born and raised in Rotorua. He is a loop artist, musician, songwriter and guitar tutor.
He has three EPs and numerous single releases under his belt, plus more than a decade worth of musical performance/writing experience.
He currently teaches guitar at Rotorua Music School while also performing original work.
Tara Prieto is a Filipino millennial migrant in Aotearoa, in the journey of discovering her artistic identity.
She calls herself FriedRat when doing art.
Dr Margriet Theron has lived in Rotorua since 1978 and has been involved in the governance of five schools, Chamber of Commerce, Social Services Council, Rotary Club of Rotorua, Speech NZ and Geyser Community Foundation.
After a career in forestry education and science policy, she now devotes most of her time to the successful settlement of migrants in Rotorua as the president of the Rotorua Multicultural Council.
Nigel Ward makes cartoons. He works with a pencil and black marker, then digitises his drawings and brings them to life in the computer.
He trained at Auckland's Animation College in 1995, and after years of studios and freelancing, went back to start teaching there in 2012.
In 2015, they sent him to Rotorua to establish its first satellite campus, which he ran on Eruera St for three years. He now spends his time animating Māori language cartoon shows for kids.
Andrew Warner is an award-winning photojournalist, born and bred in Rotorua.
He has exhibited work both locally and nationally over the past 20 years.
In his ArtsMad talk he will show some of his favourite recent images of the people and places that inspire him.
Cian Elyse White is a wahine Māori artist who has had an extensive career in professional theatre, TV and film as an actress.
In 2017, Cian wrote her first short film Daddy's Girl (Kōtiro) which received the Fresh 30K grant in 2018.
The film won a Best First-Time Director award in the Los Angeles independent shorts competition in November of 2019, and the film is currently in the running for a series of festivals, spanning over the 2020/2021 season.
Cian has a burning desire to tell stories that uplift the Māori voice and celebrate Ngai Māori on a global scale.
The details
- What: ArtsMad (virtual)
- When: June 16, from 5.15pm
- Links: Livestream Link: www.facebook.com/RotoruaArtsVillage/live/
Zoom Link: To be released soon
