The Arts and Cultural Policy (2007) policy sets out Council’s commitment to cultural well-being and recognises the economic and social value of arts and culture to the district.

 

Council continues to work in partnership with a range of stakeholders including iwi, arts trusts and funders, community arts and cultural groups and artists. RDC recognises the need for collaborative working and that Council plays a vital role in leading, planning and coordinating arts and cultural activities in the district including Arts Residencies Rotorua, the Arts Conference, Music at Band Rotunda, Children’s Day, Fish Out of Water, Magma Short Film Festival and more.

Many arts and cultural projects and events as well as artists profiles, Arts Trail, arts and crafts organisations, events and news are listed or available to download on the Creative Rotorua website, managed by the Community Arts Officer. Copies of the Rotorua Arts Trail and Creative Rotorua Directory are also available from the Library, Rotorua Arts Village Experience, City Focus and Council.

Toi Rotorua: Arts and Culture in the Volcanic Heartland is a bi-monthly newsletter looking at community and public arts projects, funding opportunities and more.

 

In Rotorua we value the role art and artists play in recording our stories, expressing our unique heritage and commemorating those significant personalities who have helped to shape our district.

 

The Art in Public Places Policy (2008) seeks to promote, develop and inspire public art recognising the diverse and special cultural and physical characteristics of the Rotorua district. Engaging the community in public arts projects is a policy goal.

 

A key aspect for RDC is the integration of art into capital works projects. Departments overseeing significant projects must look at the potential for including artworks and involving artists in some aspect of the design and construction.

 
The purpose of the Art in Public Places Guidelines is to set out the range of criteria by which all proposals for the commissioning or acquisitioning of art works for the public domain can be assessed. The policy reflects recognition of the potential for civic and economic benefit that public art works can bring to the community.

To find out more about arts in Rotorua, contact the Community Arts Officer on 07 348 4199 overseas +64 7 348 4199 ext 8154.

In policy developed some years ago Council identified the need for an arts village to provide a central operating venue for the many arts groups contributing to the Rotorua community. Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust as part of its Millennium gift to the city approved funding to help create the arts village.

 

During the year Wohlmann House, the previous arts centre, and two other heritage buildings were restored and added to, to form the Rotorua Arts Village, on land gifted to the Crown by Ngati Whakaue as part of the original European settlement of Rotorua.

 

During construction a group of passionate community artists facilitated the creation of a significant artwork, a tile mosaic, which became the floor of the ambulatory gallery connecting all of the spaces. This fantastic project involved people, old and young, from all sectors of the community sharing in the creative process and a magnificent achievement.

 

RAVE, located at 1240 Hinemaru Street in the city, is governed by a trust, with a manager and administrators responsible for the daily running of the facility in providing an important venue for arts and cultural activities and opportunity for clubs to meet. 

RAVE has an expanding programme of evening and holiday arts classes and workshops across a wide range of genre.

 

For further information contact the Rotorua Arts Village Experience, phone 07 348 9008 overseas +64 7 348 9008 or fax 0-7-343 7108.

                       

 

 

Creative Rotorua

Community Calendar

 

 

 

 

 

 

A membership-based not-for-profit society that aims to represent and advance the professional interests of visual artists in Aotearoa/New Zealand.