Memorial exhibition opens today featuring 35 exciting local artists

John and Libby Gray with a Maiangi Waitai painting featured in the 2018 Kate Gray Memorial Trust exhibition. Photo/Stuart Munro

He kai kei aku ringa, opening at Whanganui Arts at the Centre today, offers selected works by 35 artists.

With the English subtitle Into the Light, the exhibition is organised by the Kate Gray Memorial Trust and artists have donated their works to help fund the fostering of the arts and provide opportunities for Māori art students.

The trust was established in memory of Kate Gray who was 16 when she died in a car crash in 1991.

Kate's favourite subjects were art and Māori and the trust was established with the proceeds from a first art exhibition held in 1992.

"Since then we've given scholarships to students who had completed their first year at Polytech and now UCOL," says trustee Libby Gray, Kate's mother.

"We changed our programme a bit and we're into our third year of mentoring students in their final years at school who are really keen to go on to tertiary arts education.

"We help students prepare themselves for their final portfolio presentation."

Students who have benefited from the mentoring programme during the past two years have work included in the exhibition this year.

Previous scholarship winners Vanessa Edwards, Hemi McGregor, Tanea Ngapeka, Damian Ranginawanga, Tineke Paurini, Maiangi Waitai, Dave Terry, Lydia Davis-Pou and Gina Ropiha have contributed works for this year's exhibition.

The works on offer include paintings, prints, fabric art, glass and ceramic works.

There is also poetry including a contribution from Bill Manhire.

He kai kei aku ringa opens at 4.30pm, Sunday, September 30 and will be open for viewing at Whanganui Arts at the Centre, 19 Taupo Quay from 10am to 4pm daily until October 14.