null
Page 65Page 66
Page 65
Above: Young singers from Project Prima Volta, a programme aided by Hawke’s Bay DFASRight: Artsplash Youth Festival Choir, supported by Wellington DFASBelow: The committee of Dunedin DFAS, New Zealand’s newest Society, welcomed Antony Penrose (centre) for their fi rst lecture in February 2016of New Zealand’s most prestigious and infl uential painters, her work was not highly regarded here during her lifetime. Born in Dunedin, Hodgkins established her reputation and lived much of her life in Britain, where she had work accepted by the Royal Academy in 1903. DFASNZ funding has enabled Mary Kisler to travel to the UK, France and across New Zealand, re-tracing Hodgkins’ life and places of inspiration, and to pursue in-depth research into the artist and her work. The outcome will be the creation of an online catalogue raisonnŽ (a comprehensive listing of all known artworks), along with material for a book and an exhibition. These will focus on the importance of location for Hodgkins.Artsplash is an amazing young people’s arts festival that brings together thousands of school children aged between fi ve and 13 from across Wellington each year. Celebrating dance, music, drama, visual art and wearable art, this year marks the 29th festival. Wellington DFAS is a key fi nancial supporter of Artsplash, and it’s wonderful to see the sea of bright, shining faces of the young involved and the enormous excitement and enjoyment that the festival generates.New Zealand’s very fi rst Society, Canterbury DFAS, is now celebrating its 15th year. Despite the devastating earthquakes of September 2010 and February 2011, the Canterbury DFAS programme has not missed a single lecture, just one example of the amazing resilience of the Christchurch community. Prior to the earthquakes, the Society had established a Youth Arts programme that funded pupils from schools in low socio-economic communities to visit the Christchurch Art Gallery and participate in the Schools education programme. Happily, after a fi ve-year hiatus while the Christchurch Gallery was intensively restored and repaired, the DFAS Youth Arts programme is back in full swing, enabling school children to enjoy what is one of the most inspiring art museums in the world. Hawke’s Bay DFAS not only provides funding to regional galleries in Hastings and Napier to aid youth access, but also supports Festival Opera and its youth initiative, Project Prima Volta (PPV), based on the world-renowned El Sistema music education programme. Festival Opera mounts a full production each year to coincide with Napier’s famous Art Deco Festival. This not only showcases home-grown and international talent, but also acts as a platform to engage, mentor and train young people. PPV often works with children from low socio-economic backgrounds and has already uncovered and nurtured a number of hugely promising young singers, many of whom have performed in Festival Opera productions. PPV’s focus is not only on singing and stage performance, but also on training young people in backstage and production skills. Members of Hawke’s Bay DFAS were treated to a performance by three of PPV’s young stars at a special lecture event in March – a very memorable moment for everyone. It was a source of great pride that the Society had played a small part in PPV’s success. Looking ahead, the DFAS New Zealand family is poised to expand further, with a new Society being planned in Queenstown. This is testament to the enormous appeal of NADFAS and the enjoyment and enrichment that the lectures and associated activities offer members. We are very proud of the signifi cant contribution each Society makes to their creative communities in New Zealand and around the world. ■Red Jug: courtesy of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1982.AREA FOCUS www.nadfas.org.uk NADFAS REVIEW / AUTUMN 2016 65