Almost Famous Exhibition

A "Salon des Refuses" exhibition.

Enjoy the beautiful selection of work exhibited by the talented Hawke’s Bay artists that were the un-selected entrants of the recent CANdid-50 exhibition. This type of exhibition is commonly known in the art world as a ‘Salon des Refuses’. What you will see is a wide variety of quality artwork, made by authentic and passionate artists that live and work locally.

Celebrate with the artists at the special opening night that CAN is hosting on Friday 30 October, 5-7pm. All welcome! Light refreshments will be served.

What was CANdid-50?

‘CANdid-50’ is an exhibition that was on display in October, during the Harcourts Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival. This selected exhibition of 50 works by 50 Hawke’s Bay Artists was an exciting addition to all of the events and exhibitions on offer during this time. Hawke’s Bay artists were invited to submit a work, in any media, for selection by the well respected and experienced Hawke’s Bay-based selector Roy Dunningham. The resulting 50 selected works went on display in the beautiful Main Gallery. Roy Dunningham announced six ‘Highly Commended’ awards at the opening night gala. A People’s Choice Award was also presented at the end of the exhibition, from the votes cast by the visiting public during the three-week duration of the exhibition.

So why support a local art exhibition?

This year has brought about some challenges for the arts sector and has noticeably affected the income of the region’s talented artists. After the Covid Lockdown was over in May, and everyone emerged from their cocoons, CAN held an exhibition in June to showcase the work that the enforced studio time had brought about, entitled ‘We CAN Celebrate’.

This exhibition was a great success, not only in terms of participation and the number of pieces on display but also with visitor numbers and sales. This support from artists and the community, and the direct connections that were made between artists and buyers reinforced and validated the function and value of community arts.

CAN operates at a grassroots level, providing accessibility to the Arts, not only for all visitors but by providing affordable space for exhibitors too. What it proved to CAN, was that an important part of our role is to connect the dots and act as a conduit to facilitate these interactions between artists and art appreciators.

So, come and see what these talented people have been up to! Art is all-important for our well-being, whether you make it, or appreciate it. And if you appreciate it, show how much by taking a piece home with you! This simple act is a fantastic way to show your support.