Community Art Works: a reason to get out of bed

7 April 2010
“Expressing yourself through art is an essential part of life. You don’t have to be a fine artist to create art. If it pleases you and makes you happy then you need to do it,” says Faye Wullf, Co-ordinator of Community Art Works in Nelson.

Established 17 years ago, Community Art Works caters for people who cannot access art programmes via the mainstream. This includes disabled people, disconnected youth and people with experience of mental ill-health.

The Nelson creative space is staffed by several professional artists, and also provides work experience for polytechnic and college students. Faye is dedicated both to her role at Community Art Works and to the arts, which she believes are an expression of humanity and vital to our survival.

A number of artists at Community Art Works have told Faye that it is a place of healing and gives them a reason to get up in the morning.

The premises at 25 Paruparu Rd, provided by the Nelson City Council for a peppercorn rent, can accommodate up to 25 people per session. Programmes are based around art, music, dance and literature, with computers and the internet available to assist artists in their work.

Over the past couple of years, Community Art Works has also been developing a relationship with the Community Probation and Psychological Services in Nelson. This means that offenders serving a sentence of community work may be placed at Community Art Works to complete their sentence.

Here, they do a range of tasks, including painting the walls, tidying the outside area, working alongside the artists or helping to make props for the float in Nelson’s annual Christmas Parade.

“Our artists love the extra attention, and it gives them more of a sense of community and social inclusion,” she says. “For the people on probation it can be just as valuable. They learn understanding and tolerance, and it can make them see how fortunate they are.”

The economic downturn, government cost-cutting measures and pressure on philanthropic trusts prompted a change in focus for Community Art Works. “It’s meant we’ve returned to our community roots and have broadened our client base to include everyone,” Faye says.

Community Art Works exhibits at least three times a year; sells artworks at festivals and markets; takes part in Nelson’s mask and Christmas parades; and enters at least 25 students into the annual IHC Telecom Art Awards. One of its artists, Chris Tilley, won the IHC Telecom Art Awards 2008.

It is also involved in a number of other projects. Photos capturing some of these projects (e.g.  in December 2009) can be viewed on its website.

“We are trying to introduce more courses for the general public because there’s a lot of interest in what we do,” Faye says.

People who attend Community Art Works pay $7 per session.

For more information:
Faye Wulff, Co-ordinator
Community Art Works, Nelson
T: +64 3 545 9976
E: