Travelling gallery in Whanganui for Coastal Arts Trail launch

Travelling curator Aimée Ralfini with Vallery at the Whanganui launch of the Coastal Arts Trail. Photo / Bevan Conley

Vallery the campervan arrived in Whanganui wearing a coat designed by local artist Ivan Vostinar.

The specially kitted out diesel campervan owned by Quirky Campervans is both a travelling art gallery and a fully-equipped mobile home developed for the launch of the Coastal Arts Trail.

The campervan has a "skin" printed from a photograph of the glaze pattern on one of Vostinar's ceramic works and inside there are three cushions created by Whanganui artist Lauren Lysaght representing the three regions on the trail.

Works by Whanganui artists K Patricia Taylor, Aaron Scythe, Nicholas Toyne, Frances Stachl, Sheila Pearson and Christina McGillan are in the on-board collection and even Vallery's keys are adorned with a felt work keyring by local artist Tina Schurhammer.

The Coastal Arts Trail is a new arts tourism experience, featuring over 50 stops across the lower west coast of the North Island and 25 of the venues are in Whanganui.

Vallery's travelling curator is Aimée Ralfini of art promotion platform Art Ache.

She has been assembling the travelling collection over six months and getting to know the artists whose works are featured in the travelling gallery.

She wears a bespoke jacket made by a designer friend in Auckland that complements Vallery's exterior.

"It has these small succulents in the design because I know Ivan has a succulent garden at his studio in Castlecliff," she said.

Ralfini said all the artworks in the travelling gallery had been carefully sealed and protected or translated on to hard-wearing surfaces and fabrics so people can just relax and have fun.

The Coastal Arts Trail had its launch at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth on Wednesday and the Palmerston North launch would be held at Te Manawa on Friday.

Cushions by Whanganui artist Lauren Lysaght represent the three districts of the Coastal Arts Trail. Photo / Bevan Conley

The Coastal Arts Trail has been planned for five years and the vision has now been realised with the help of government funding for the recovery of tourism communities impacted by Covid-19.

Whanganui & Partners visitor industries lead Paul Chaplow said the collaboration between economic development agencies across the three districts had come together very smoothly.

"It has been great to work together on this because none of us really had the budget to do it on our own," he said.

"Whanganui is very well placed in the collaboration because visitors will stop here on their way to Manawatū or Taranaki.

"We're right in the middle and there is such a massive concentration of arts activity here."

Chaplow said it could be possible to widen the trail out to other districts in the central North Island at a later stage.

Vallery is a fully equipped mobile home as well as a travelling art gallery. Photos / Bevan Conley

Vallery would now be available for hire and Quirky Campervans owner Leanne Edwards said there had been a lot of interest.

Coastal Arts Trail guides are available at sites around Whanganui and online at coastalartstrail.nz.