3 Feb 2019

Accessing the arts online

From Standing Room Only, 2:50 pm on 3 February 2019
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Photo: Provided

Being interested in art is one thing - but getting your head around what's on and what might most interest you when there are 100s of galleries of all sorts of different stripes in New Zealand - often not prominent in the street - is another.

The places to start used to be simple: your local newspaper provided listings of what was on to see near you. No longer. Outside art magazines, increasingly listings and advertising of all kinds have gone online - but into their own separate silos. So where do you go, and how can the majority of us keep in touch?

Stephanie Post is co-director of the Auckland Art Fair - a key place galleries introduce themselves to the public - but late last year she launched with Hayley White artnow.co.nz a directory of New Zealand galleries, exhibitions and events.

Artnow joins several other guides: Artsdiary (including image galleries of openings) and Art News New Zealand among them. Meanwhile international guide Ocula features some New Zealand galleries and was founded in Auckland.

While Art News New Zealand lists almost 200 galleries nationwide, Artnow, says Stephanie, will aim to have about  50 to 60.

“We tend to look at galleries who could or have considered participating at a sort of art fair type level. Its not a very clear distinction but its in order to ensure we have if you like some sort of guarantee of quality - so that if an international visitor arrives in Wellington and says 'I want to see some really good art' they arrive at somewhere which is either publicly funded or is properly representing artists in a way that looks after their careers as well as sells their work."

Stephanie talked to Mark Amery about why she feels another art listings service was needed.