Art aficionados showed up in force at the Tribune building last Wednesday to bid on ‘apple art’ produced in conjunction with Studio Benega and Arts Inc Heretaunga, supported by the Hastings District Council.
$212,250 was raised on the day, not counting the unspecified amount paid for a work by Ricks Tersteppen and Sharleen Gamble to be permanently installed in Flaxmere park. This was an act of philanthropy bringing public art to our most neglected suburb. This is the spirit of the Big Apple project.
Each artist was provided with a fibreglass apple, fabricated at a cost of $1,500, and free paint via sponsors, Resene. Each was granted a flat fee of $1,500 and 50% of the sale price above the reserve of $3,450. The remaining 50% goes to Arts Inc, a registered charity committed to advocating for and promoting the Arts and Artists in Heretaunga. Individual works went for between $5,000 and $25,000, granting artists fees of between $2,275 and $12,275. Including retainers, a total of $101,850 was given to artists, excluding the Flaxmere apple. Arts Inc made a profit of $81,900 after paying for fabrication and artist fees. This too will funnel back into the arts.
The highest bid of the night went to Glen Colechin’s Growth of an Empire, previously on display at the airport. Bought by Mackersey Development, it will be installed in the courtyard of Porter’s Hotel, one of the many commercial buildings in their portfolio. As well as fetching the highest price, it was also the most expensive to make, containing over a thousand dollars’ worth of copper provided by the artist himself.
Using the streets as a gallery was a democratising feature, allowing everyone access to art. Many of the pieces will be donated or installed in public places, outside orchards and supermarkets and commercial spaces, making the world a little brighter for all who pass by.
Abbey Merson Blossom $6,500
Heather Wilson Malus Domestica $8,000
John Staniford Appledrone $9,000
Mickey Espino Actualizing Tendency $6,750
Elisa Koski-Taylor Reclaimed Shades $21,500
Patrick Tyman Unity with Variety $8,000
Josh Lancaster Mount Erin $20,000
Brandon Blair Unity with Nature $9,000
Justin Kite Cultivated $9,000
Pasifika Senikau Group The Value of the Pacific Apple $12,500
Katherine Kinross White Commoners $14,000
Jo Blogg The Impossible Apple $10,500
Tony Harrington Aporo $9,000
Isobel Loughran Flowing with the Sunrise $7,000
Gillian Appleby Rosy $5,000
Glen Colechin Growth of an Empire $25,000
Bernie Winkels Apple Country $6,500
Richard Boyd-Dunlop Kaleidoscopic Pollination $10,000
Helen Kerridge Dionysian Excess $15,000
The night was such a great occasion to celebrate Art, Apples, and Hawkes Bay.
I felt very privileged to be part of the whole experience and to be showing with a high calib of Artists from Hawkes bay.