Finding Frances
A play about Frances Hodgkins premieres in Otago this weekend.
Double Portrait - Finding Frances Hodgkins explores the life, friends and family of the enigmatic artist.
The play was written by former Dunedin resident Jan Bolwell during her 2007 Robert Lord Writer's Cottage residency.
Double Portrait - Finding Frances Hodgkins is on at 7.30pm tomorrow at the InkBox Theatre in Oamaru, and at 7.30pm on Saturday and 3pm on Sunday in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
An exhibition to mark the artist's birthday, "Frances Hodgkins and Morocco", opened at the gallery yesterday, and there will be a talk on Sunday at 1pm by curator and art historian Dr Roger Collins.
Show to launch gallery
Art gallery The Anteroom opens at the former Masonic lodge, 29 Wickliffe Tce, Port Chalmers, tomorrow,with an exhibition, "Tainted Love".
Artists include Ali Bramwell, Katrina Thomson, Tokerau Wilson, Mark Harvey, Ronnie Van Hout (Sydney), Ryan Cockburn (Melbourne) and Lily Fraser (Melbourne).
Pete Gorman and Eddie Eves will perform at Chick's Hotel in Port Chalmers after the opening.
"Tainted Love" opens at 5.30pm tomorrow and runs until May 23.
The gallery is open from 11am to 5pm at weekends from Sunday.
Breaking down barriers
A Dunedin artist is helping art break through bars next week.
Alice Rose is one of 200 New Zealand artists chosen to participate in the inaugural "Braveheart" art exhibition, to raise funds to support programmes to reduce the number of young New Zealanders entering prison.
The exhibition is on at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland next weekend.
Opera - and politics
Veteran Wellington actor Helen Moulder brings her latest solo comedy show, A Vote for Cynthia - The Musical, to Otago this weekend.
The play is about a fading opera singer who wants to become prime minister and launches a new political party.
A Vote for Cynthia - The Musical opens at 7.30pm on Saturday in the Broad Bay Hall.
Other Otago dates are: May 14, Bannockburn Hall, 8pm; May 16, Becks Hall, 7.30pm; May 18, Roxburgh Town Hall, 7.30pm, ; May 20, Crookston Hall, Tapanui, 7.30pm, ; May 23, Oamaru Repertory Theatre, Oamaru, 4pm.
New works unveiled
Chamber music ensemble the NZ Trio unveils two new works in its Dunedin concert next week; a piece commissioned from New Zealand composer Judy Bailey, So Many Rivers, and Australian composer Stuart Greenbaum's new work, The Year Without A Summer.
"They are two very different, but complementary, works and they are both easily digestible," pianist Sarah Watkins says.
The programme is: Piano Trio (Jennifer Higdon), So Many Rivers (Judy Bailey), Piano Trio No.1 in D (Turina), The Year Without A Summer (Stuart Greenbaum) and Piano Trio No.2 in F (Schumann).
The NZ Trio performs at 7.30pm on Tuesday at the Dunedin Town Hall.
Art awards this weekend
The Otago Art Society's Hope and Sons Art Awards exhibition, which runs every two years, opens this weekend.
Nearly 300 paintings and art works have been submitted for the awards, which offer a total of $6500 in prize money and are open to any South Island artist.
The judge is Dunedin Public Art Gallery public programmes manager Robyn Notman.
The exhibition opens at 10am in the Dunedin Railway Station on Saturday and runs until May 30.
Dance in celebration
New Zealand celebrates the 28th International Dance Day (IDD) today, though the main event in Dunedin is on Sunday.
IDD aims to raise awareness of dance, and Otago coordinator Kathryn Olcott, treasurer of Dance Otakou, says their goal is a community-oriented occasion.
This year the focus is a performance by more than 20 groups at the Otago Museum Hutton Theatre, from 1pm-4pm.
Ms Olcott, who teaches Irish dance, says the IDD show will feature a range of abilities including two school groups, and a performance by champion salsa dancer Tom Spooner.
Also on Sunday, a "Global Village Dance" is organised at the South Dunedin Community Hall from 5pm-10pm.
Organiser Tony Lane says the dance will incorporate a wide range of styles and have an emphasis on ensuring everyone gets to dance.
It costs $5 and those attending are asked to bring a plate.
IDD was founded in 1982 by the International Dance Committee of Unesco and commemorates the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre, the founder of modern ballet.
- NZPA
Projects wanted
The Blue Oyster gallery is seeking project proposals from artists and curators for the first half of its 2011 programme.
Information on developing a proposal and gallery floorplans and images are available at www.blueoyster.org.nz/proposals/ or to talk through an idea, contact the director on (03) 479-0197.
The deadline for submissions is Thursday, May 21.
