Arty Wellington weekends

By ANNE ELSE



A bride beams out at me, her arms full of gift-wrapped Addis brushes. Underneath, in flowing script, is "Lucky Girl!" The image is all too familiar from the pages of my mother's women's magazines. But this time it is painted on a blue metal ironing board.

It's a friendly start to a weekend exploration of Wellington's art trails. But what does it mean?

Artist Mark Ussher is an op-shop and garage sale treasure hunter who confesses he spent months tracking down magazines from the 1950s. He kept seeing old ironing boards, and thought of using them to paint advertising images and graphics on. His April exhibition featuring them sold out. Why does he find these old ads so compelling?

"Some people see them simply as amusing relics from the past, but advertising today is still using many of the techniques of the 50s. The power of colour printing started then. And women are still having domestic and sexual roles pushed at them - 'buy this, use this, keep your man happy'."

He plans one more show, then is moving on to images of boxers from the 1960s.

My next stop, in Willis St, is easy to find. A sign on the pavement guides me up to a huge double studio, with living quarters attached, opening on to a rooftop garden. Marianne Muggeridge and Roger Morris came here from Taranaki four years ago, so their daughters could go to city secondary schools. It was also more acceptable for them to be full-time artists.

When the sign is out, they are open. Roger says the only problem is that every so often someone turns up at one in the afternoon with a bottle of wine. "That's not a great idea - we are working!"

Visiting artists in their studios has a long history. But it is Arlo Edwards' energy and enthusiasm, backed by Ussher and many others, that have made it so successful in Wellington.

When Edwards organised the first Visual Tourist weekend in February, he saw it as "a way of letting people know just how much talent there is right here on their own doorstep, waiting to be discovered".

It was a huge success - 1200 people went to studios, and $60,000 worth of work was sold. Now the "passport" booklet produced for that weekend has brought Edwards an invitation to take his sharp-edged perspex paintings and hand-customised prints to a London exhibition of emerging artists.

A few doors away, on the first floor at 147 Cuba St, is Wellington's oldest contemporary art dealership, Peter McLeavey Gallery.

The show of paintings by Peter Adsett is the 439th exhibition in this room. It will be followed by exhibitions by Lawrence Aberhardt and Bill Hammond.

Across the road is the restaurant Logan Brown in a 1920 bank building. Ann Robinson glass and Paul Dibble bronzes set off the neoclassical interior.

Seafood and game are the star turns on the menu, and paua ravioli makes the perfect entree for duck confit with quince paste. What makes the food so outstanding is the focus on flavours and textures and how they fit together.

Sunday morning is crisp and fine, so I start at Queen's Wharf with the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts' autumn exhibition in the old Wharf Office building. Manager Diane Hall says visitors comment on the freedom and colour of the work. "Because we're here for our 1300 members, our commission just covers costs, so the prices are very reasonable."

What next? From the waterfront, I could easily reach the City Gallery in Civic Square, or the expanded art exhibitions at Te Papa. But they're both open on Monday, and each will need at least half a day to itself. Instead, I head for Wellington's newest dealer gallery, Ora, at 23 Allen St.

Craft artist Kataraina Hetet has been weaving since she was a child. She also has an MBA. Vinnie Phillips trained as a chef. They have just opened Ora because they wanted to bring together "an across-the-board slice of work from New Zealand craft artists in a really welcoming space, so anyone will feel comfortable walking in to find something they like".

Part of the old Turners and Growers market building has been sensitively renovated to show striking pieces, from a paua and silver wire wall weaving to a sculptural kete. There's an excellent range of affordable small craft items, too.

Almost next door is Kura, selling contemporary ethnic art and design works. Over at 37 Courtenay Place, Photospace focuses on photography. But only Ora offers what I need right now - thanks to Vinnie, the coffee and cake is outstanding.

WHERE TO GO

NZAFA Gallery: 1 Queen's Wharf, 10am-5pm daily for exhibitions, (04) 499-8807

Peter McLeavey Gallery: 147 Cuba St, Tues-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 11am-3pm, (04) 384-7356

Ora Design and Art Space: 23 Allen St, from 8.30 Mon-Fri, Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 10am-5pm, (04) 384-4157

Mark Ussher: Studio 4, Level 1, Anvil House, 138 Wakefield St, 021-646-801,

Marianne Muggeridge and Roger Morris: 216 Willis St, (04) 384-5553

Email: mailto:oeo@xtra.co.nz

Arlo Edwards: Upstairs, 223 Cuba St, 021-261-4841

Email: arlo.edwards@hotmail.com

WHERE TO EAT

Logan Brown: 192 Cuba St, (04) 801-5114

WHERE TO STAY

Museum Hotel de Wheels, 90 Cable St, 0800 994 335

Email: info@museumhotel.co.nz.


Called de Wheels because they moved the whole hotel to make room for the museum, it's opposite Te Papa, features original New Zealand art, and offers great weekend deals.