Helene and Graham Hall opened Eightyeight Putiki in December. Photo / Lewis Gardner
The first weekend of Artists Open Studios has provided a much-needed shot in the arm for Whanganui's arts and visitor sectors.
Artists Open Studios Trust chairman Neil Buddle said every artist he had been in contact with was pleased to be open and to have the public coming through.
Vaccine passes were required at all locations but more than 60 studios had still signed up.
"It's been a mission to get here and it does feel really good to have it on," Buddle said.
"People are being really good about following the rules."
The event was a "regular fixture" for the public.
"Friends come to stay and they arrange to do it together. It's something familiar that can remind you it's not all doom and gloom," Buddle said.
Heather Leeves recently opened art supply shop and gallery HLjKO, and said it was her first time participating in the event, which opened on Saturday.
"Things were really busy on Saturday, with a lot of locals," Leeves said.
"There may be more out of towners today (Sunday). Everyone does the rounds in their own way."
As well as supplies, the shop also boasts the work of artists from around the country.
"One is ceramic artist Dani Henke, who is from the US but has been living in New Zealand for ages," Leeves said.
"I actually met her when I was working at a backpacker on the (Whanganui) river.
"I ran into her again during the last Artists Open Studios. Now, a year later, her work is in my shop."
Across town, Graeme Kiff of Simply Wrought Iron was participating for the first time in a couple of years.
Previously he had operated out of his Tawa Views studio.
Like Leeves, he said Saturday had been a success.
"I wanted to get back into it and to show everyone where we do things.
"We would have had 120-odd through on Saturday, it was really good.
"There have been people through from the past who realised we were doing it again this year. They wanted to see the workshop as well."
Kiff said the business undertook "a lot of quirky stuff" that other engineering companies might not want to tackle.
"That keeps things interesting.
"I'm really glad the event wasn't cancelled this year, like everything else was. Let's get on with life. If that means we have to wear a mask, so be it."
Eightyeight Putiki was another first-timer at the event.
Formerly Red Door Gallery, the building was bought by Helene and Graham Hall last year.
Helene Hall, a graphic artist by trade, said Saturday was the busiest time they had experienced since reopening the doors in December.
"It was just the most banging day.
"It was mostly locals, and those who had travelled only came from Palmerston North, Marton and Wellington."
"We really didn't have to many expectations because of Covid and things, but we were overwhelmed. The feedback was really validating too, as this is all new for us."
The works on display came from Helene herself, along with other Whanganui artists Lesley Stead and Sandra Morris.
"Everything is from New Zealand, and very much around the new Zealand flora and fauna spectrum, which is what I love.
"My next project will be a Whanganui series. Hopefully that will be ready for next year's Artists Open Studios."
Buddle said showcasing new studios and galleries was a great part of the event.
"There are people who come and look around every year, which is always nice for those who are doing it for the first time or it's their first year in a new place.
"They know people are going to turn up."
Everyone had all pulled together to make the event work, Buddle said.
"Our coordinator Charlie Meyerhoff has been awesome and we've had volunteers who have stepped up to help at our starting point.
"It's been nice to have people come in to help. Everything is well organised."
Whanganui's Nicola Metcalfe was at the Gonville Hall Preservation Society on Sunday.
Artists Tanya Hayton, Eli and Talula Lamont, Abby Stewart, Lesa Hepburn, Brigham Anderson, Karlya Smith, DM Ceramics and Peggy Bugden Stark were displaying works.
It was Metcalfe's second stop on her studio tour.
"I'm definitely not an artist but we have very good friends exhibiting here today," Metcalfe said.
"Our daughter has been taking art classes with Rae Hendry and she's got some little pieces up at Cooks Gallery. She's really proud of those."
Supporting Whanganui's talent was crucial, especially during the current Covid-19 pandemic, Metcalfe said.
"The arts sector has been hit really hard, and I think it shows true resilience that all these people have powered through.
"You can see all the inspiration that has come from the time these artists have spent in lockdown and in isolation."
Metcalfe said the arts were a key part of the city's culture and were what drew people to it.
"Some galleries have shut down, so to be able to show support for these weekends is important.
"Hopefully the younger generation can get involved as well."
Across the hall, artist Brigham Anderson was showcasing his work at the event for the first time.
"My art is very text-orientated, Anderson said.
"I'm slightly dyslexic, so words used to freak me out a bit. Over the years I've thought they are actual symbols.
"The shapes of letters have always interested me, and there's personality in them."
Those words and letters had been combined with Tukutuku patterns based on a grid, Anderson said.
A prominent wooden work on display told the creation story of Papatūānuku and Ranginui.
"From that came all of us," Anderson said.
"It's around my expression that we're all connected but we're all different.
"That's good, because if we were all the same we would all be artists and nobody would be constructing buildings or making ice cream.
"Those differences are important."
'We’ve got our enforcement teams and where we can, we’ll track them down.'