Tauranga Art Gallery director Stephen Cleland says over the course of 2021 it's been wonderful to bring a range of exciting exhibitions to Tauranga audiences.

'To mention just a few, we have presented ginormous paintings, an ecologically focused sculpture made from more than 10km of rope, and a colourful floor installation more than 40m in length.

'We have exhibited artists, from Los Angeles to London and presented works by both leading Tauranga artists as well as the next generation of Bay of Plenty creatives. We have partnered with a range of organisations to create flags in the city and a large-scale permanent painting on the road of the Historic Village.”

But of course, like everyone, Stephen says the extraordinary freedoms we enjoyed for the large part of 2021 seem like a distant memory.

'While it was always possible, it's sobering to witness how quickly the reality of Covid returning to our communities set in.

'Simple tasks suddenly became momentous: from managing everyday freight and the delivery of artworks to shortages of material supplies, from timber to specialist art-materials.”

He says at times, participating artists from around New Zealand were unable to visit their own exhibitions!

'But I think that when I reflect on 2021 my biggest impression will be the remarkable resiliency of the visual art scene. Despite all obstacles, in late-2021 it's been a privilege to have the public returning to the gallery, including hundreds of school children, many of whom are experiencing art for the first time.

'Over the past month we have presented an entirely new suite of exhibitions, including unveiling a major sculpture for the Christmas season by Tauranga-artist Darcell Apelu.”

Her towering 5-metre-high gold fountain, currently on display in the gallery's atrium, is testament to what's possible when enough people are determined to make it happen.

'It gives me hope for the coming year as we enter the holiday season.”