A range of art talks aims to ignite and inspire people in the first ArtsMad session for 2019.
ArtsMad is a visual presentation evening that takes place four times a year, where people from the wider arts community talk about what they do alongside a rolling show reel of interesting images.
The confirmed speakers for the first session for 2019 are Anna Hayes, Don Overbeay, Vanessa J Hill, Glenn McLeary, Jenny Lux and Jacqueline Bond.
It is being held on Tuesday, 5.30pm to 7.30pm, in the Monarch Room at Princes Gate Hotel.
Based in Rotorua for the past 22 years, Anna Hayes draws on the knowledge and creativity inherited from her ancestors to bring weaving to life in a modern style.
Her work has been featured in galleries across the country as solo exhibitions and in collaboration with other artists.
Anna says the main focus of her presentation will be the story behind the public art project she was commissioned to do for the 2018 Bike Festival.
She says the piece she designed and created is called Whakamā and is made from wooden screens which have bike tubes woven as panels.
The three panels sit on wheels and are hinged together.
Anna is looking forward to hearing the stories and journeys of other creatives in the community.
"It showcases the real talent and heart of the creative community we've got in Rotorua. It's a fantastic event."
Vanessa J Hill. Photo / Supplied
Vanessa J Hill is an Auckland-born Kiwi who has spent most of her life in Australia. She returned to New Zealand last year, and is based in Rotorua.
Vanessa is a trained fashion designer, filmmaker and teacher.
Helping people to unlock their own creativity is a passion of Vanessa's, and in order to facilitate this, she has founded the meet-up group Unleash your Creativity - Rotorua.
She will be talking about her journey as an artist, having done a number of art forms including fashion designing, photography, acrylics, poetry and film.
She says she is looking forward to sharing what she is doing with other people and meeting other artists in Rotorua.
"I think it's great because it brings the artistic community together.
"Art doesn't work in isolation and it's a great platform for emerging and established artists.
Glenn McLeary is a traditional and a digital graphic artist. As an artist, Glenn explores large format narrative and often quirky painting.
As a graphic artist he runs Redspot, a brand management business, specialising in graphic and website design and works locally, nationally and internationally.
Some of the local projects include the branding for Rotorua Farmers and Night Markets, Atticus Finch and Whakarewarewa Māori Village.
Jacqueline Bond. Photo / Supplied
Jacqueline Bond got a PhD in cell and molecular biology at Auckland University a few years back, and so started down the track of research into how the heart develops using different types of microscopy in the United States.
She took up a job at Scion helping to run their microscopes and do research on wood.
She says the images were incredible, and they sparked an origami/microscopy art project supported by Rave.
American-born and a Rotorua resident for the last decade, Don Overbeay is a painter.
He holds Bob Dylan, Philip Guston, and Haruki Murakami in high regard.
Jenny Lux. Photo / Supplied
Jenny Lux was raised in Rotorua, studied arts and science at university in Auckland, travelled the world, became a plant ecologist, and then after becoming a mother to two boys landed on a plot of land in Ngongotahā to start an organic vegetable farm.
With husband Richard Gillies, they founded 'Lux Organics' two-and-a-half years ago - Rotorua's first certified organic market garden. Jenny also teaches yoga in the community.
Entry to ArtsMad is by gold coin. Nibbles are provided with a cash bar available.
