“The reason why such good work is coming out of Whanganui is that we’re a
bit cut off from the rest of the art world, so we tend to work a lot harder.”

Siv Fjaerestad, originally from Norway, graduated last year from the Quay
School of the Arts in Whanganui, the only art school in the country where
she could study glass sculpture.

She and eight other recent Quay School graduates are exhibiting their work
at the Wellington art gallery Idiom in June. Their show, titled “Distance
and Proximity”, covers the full range of media taught at the School, from
Siv’s glass sculptures made from old TV screens to video animation by Mark
Anthony.

The nine artists in the show have all graduated from the Quay School in the
past three years. Eight of them now live and work in Wellington, and most
are originally Wellingtonians who chose to go and study in Whanganui. “The
opportunities for study there are generally much more flexible than in the
larger art schools,” says Siv.

The director of the Quay School of the Arts, Dr Suzanne MacAulay, says she
and several other Whanganui residents plan to attend the exhibition opening.
“This is a really important step for our graduates between their study and
becoming professional practising artists.”