At Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery on Friday night exhibition instigator Dorothy Piper said her brother-in-law, and fellow exhibitor, Chris Naylor, of Clyde, had dubbed her the family musterer.
"And a most appropriate title it turned out to be.
"Bringing the event to this point has been a little like shepherding a flock of strong-minded merinos down from the rugged Central Otago High Country to the shearing shed or in this case some reluctant family members to the art gallery."
The hardest part had been convincing family members their work was worthy of exhibiting, she said.
The first people she approached, her sister Deborah Robb and step-daughter Larissa Sluys, said they were not arty enough.
Larrisa said she would put some of her macrame work in if extras were needed and Mrs Robb offered to make muffins for an exhibition opening.
The first positive response was from her son-in-law Brian Christie, a neuroscientist, who said "creativity is an essential element in scientific research".
"So I had a passionate scientist, a reluctant craftswoman and a delicious batch of muffins," Piper said.
After reflection she reworded her request for participants emphasising the everyone engaged in some form of creativity but did not necessarily call it art.
In the end 243 family members had work in show, including items from some who had died but whose strong influence on their children and the following generations were apparent in the exhibits.
An astonishing array of work was featured, from a bronze statue to fibre art to wood carving along with photography, painting and linoprints.
- "Family Artistree" is open until the end of the month.
