“No barrier to creating beautiful, interesting artworks”

15 December 2009
Dudley Arthouse, a creative space enabling artists with intellectual disabilities to develop their artistic skills, is firmly established in its Lower Hutt premises after moving from Petone in early 2009.

At the time, it was a big move but everyone has adjusted well and it’s business as usual, says Dudley Arthouse co-ordinator Liz Sutherland.

“We’ve spent a lot of time creating a comfortable working environment,” she says. “We’ve also had some great donations of items such as shelving and paint. The facility is comfortable and warm for artists and staff, and our new gallery space is full of the interesting and colourful work that our artists have been producing.”

Dudley Arthouse is in Dudley Street in central Lower Hutt. This means the creative space gets a lot more foot traffic than it did in Petone. The gallery, where members of the public can view and buy the artists' work, attracts a lot of interest.

“Our artists show that intellectual disability is no barrier to creating beautiful, interesting artworks,” Liz says

“We are constantly inspired by the creativity and productivity of our artists. We’re also getting great feedback from people coming in, meeting the artists and seeing their work.”
This year, most of the Dudley Arthouse artists submitted entries to the IHC Telecom Art Awards. Two of the artists, Wendy Best and Lisa McConnochie, were among the national finalists.

It also has work on display at the Ministry of Transport offices and next year, ROAR! gallery is including several Dudley Arthouse artists in an exhibition of felt-tip work.

“Another success for us this year was the interest in the work of our artists at the IHC Auction fundraiser,” Liz says. “We submitted ten works and they all sold for good prices.”
 
Dudley Arthouse wrapped up a successful year with a group exhibition in its gallery. “The exhibition attracted a lot of new faces and we sold quite a lot of art, so we were all very happy,” Liz says.

Dudley Arthouse provides a safe, supportive environment for artists to work on their individual projects. Community participation and involvement is encouraged. It is funded through IDEA Services. It has a long-term lease on the Dudley Street premises, which makes it easier to plan for future events.

For more information:
Liz Sutherland
Co-ordinator
T: 04 566 8420