The Weekend Sun Emerging Artist Award is a much-anticipated part of the Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival in November.

Emerging or artists wanting to be more established in their careers get the opportunity to take their work to the next level thanks to the Weekend Sun and the Bayleys-sponsored Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival partnering to create the Weekend Sun Emerging Artist Award.

The 12 finalists were selected to participate in a series of development workshops at The Classroom, at The Kollective, led and mentored by professional artist Rob McGregor during July and September.

The finalists of The Weekend Sun Emerging Artist Award at one of the two workshops run by artist Rob McGregor.

The artists use mainly oil or acrylic paints, but some also used mixed media, pastels, watercolour and pencil.

“The Emerging Artist Workshops have been a great addition to the festival,” festival director Marc Anderson said.

“It’s a great opportunity for artists to get together, compare notes, learn and have fun.”

The finalists of The Weekend Sun Emerging Artist Award at one of the two workshops run by artist Rob McGregor. Photo/Supplied.

“It’s important to note that this is an emerging artist award not a beginner-learner artist award,” McGregor said.

“An artist may have arrived here from South Africa, and not yet held an exhibition, or become established, so this is an opportunity for their work to be on display to thousands of people during the festival.”

The Weekend Sun Emerging Artists programme involved two free, full-day educating and nurturing workshops in July and September, with 12 to 14 places available.

All of the emerging artists will get to display one piece of their work at the festival hub Bloom in the Bay, sponsored by Craigs Investment Partners on the Tauranga waterfront.

The winner is then judged from the piece they submit to the festival gallery. The emerging artist winner will receive a prize and free entry as a trail artist to the next (2026) festival.

Marc says the emerging artists opportunity was open to artists throughout the country, but they were required to attend the Tauranga workshops and deliver their piece of art for the gallery.

Held twice before, the Weekend Sun Emerging Artist Award has been instrumental in helping springboard emerging artists into helping establish their artistic career.

Vicki Fraser in her studio at home. Photo/SunLive.

Vicki Fraser was awarded the Weekend Sun Emerging Artist award for 2020. Mother to five children, aged six to 16 years, Vicki wrote in her application that she was “Just looking at getting back into painting as my kids are all in school now”.

“I painted quite a bit in my teenage years and early twenties, and am excited to get back into it,” said Vicki.

She exhibited two pieces at the 2020 festival. The Poser – a painting of her dog Rocco – quickly sold on the first day.

In 2022, Anna Solich was the winner of the award with her work Come Undone, created using watercolour, Indian ink and pencil. The win gives her an automatic, and free, placing as an exhibiting artist at the November 14-17 festival this year.

Anna said the emerging artist award experience changed her life in terms of art and the connections forged.

Anna tells how she pursued art at school and, when six, had a piece in an art exhibition. She’d exhibited nothing between then and her involvement with the last BOP Garden & Art Festival.

The Covid lockdowns provided her with the opportunity to pick up her pencils and brushes.

“Painting again was part of a rediscovery of who I am. It’s almost like art has unlocked something inside me. It’s been incredible. I call it my midlife awakening and I am so grateful. It has been vital for me to be able to put my feelings out there,” she said.

Anna Solich/ Supplied photo.

Anna said the creativity had always been there; she just never gave herself the time. These days she is committing hours during the day to her art, working from her kitchen table.

Pencils, watercolours and acrylics are regular companions these days — collage and mixed media come off the drawing board, too “when I want to be a bit crazy and play a little”.

Her work features mainly faces — sometimes she sees a reflection of herself in her work — and abstracts of the moon and other nature-inspired elements. She also paints on the back of denim jackets and was doing so among the floral artists at the last festival. Some of her art is available for sale, either as original pieces or as limited-edition prints.

BOP Garden & Art Festival director Marc Anderson said Anna’s story highlights the beauty of the emerging artist programme, which was introduced to the biennial festival four years ago.

“It provides the platform to give artists confidence and is perfect for those who feel the need to learn more to enhance their ability,” he said.

An artist's palette. Photo/Daniel Hines.

Some of the emerging artists go on to become festival artists the following year, as they become more established.

Judges for the Weekend Sun Emerging Artist include Rob, a journalist from the Weekend Sun, and Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival Art Committee members.

One of the artists will be awarded The Weekend Sun’s Emerging Artist award at the Garden & Art Festival, and all of the finalists will have work exhibited at Bloom in the Bay.

“It inspires me how talented this group is and with the help of Rob McGregor who kindly offers his time to lead the workshops, this event has become very worthwhile,” Anderson said.

Artist Rob McGregor. Photo/Daniel Hines.

Entry to Bloom in the Bay is free for Festival Pass Holders and $5 at the gate for everyone else (kids under 14 free).

The multi-day festival pack, for $80, gives access to the festival for all four days, and the $45 one-day festival pack gives access for any one day. Both packs include a festival pass, directory, and map.

Passes to the Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival from November 14-17, are available from Palmers Bethlehem, Décor Gardenworld, Pacifica Home and Garden World, Tropicana Garden Work, The Arts Junction – Katikati, Te Puke Florists; online at Eventfinda; or visit gardenandartfestival.co.nz. A service fee applies if purchased online.