The 46th annual "RSM Law Plunket Art Show" will open on Friday, May 10, featuring nearly 150 works by more than 30 artists from around New Zealand.
Aside from Artarama, which features work from local schoolchildren, it is the biggest foot-traffic exhibition for the gallery each year, and all funds raised go to the Timaru branch of Plunket.
In the last nine years alone, the show — organised by a group of volunteers — has raised $250,000 for Plunket, making the local branch the envy of other areas.
Behind the show has always been a committee of local women. Some have stayed a couple of years and moved on, others have offered decades of their time to the show.
When Di Hay was invited to join the committee, her son was a pre-schooler, and for her, like many others, it provided an outlet outside of parenting.
Now that son is 22, Ms Hay is still on the committee, but after a number of years as chairwoman has handed over the reins to newcomer Josie Russell — herself a mother of two and stepmother of three.
As a newcomer to Timaru, and with some involvement in exhibitions in Hawke’s Bay, Miss Russell attended the art show and was keen to get involved.
As well as offering an outlet for her passion for art, it gave her the chance to meet people in the area, and help raise funds for an organisation very relevant to her life with a 3-year-old and a nearly 12-month-old.
For some of the other women on the committee, helping organise the show gives them the chance to give back to the community they live and work in.
The formula has always been to curate an exhibition featuring works from a wide range of New Zealand artists, in a variety of mediums — oils, watercolours, glass, ceramics and more — that would not otherwise be available in a single, local, exhibition.
Ms Hay said that meant committee members would explore art galleries wherever they happened to be, to find new and exciting artists to bring on board.
"The women who started it off are proud that it’s still going and in good hands.
"Their legacy has served the community so well, it’s been years and years of fundraising."
Opening night is traditionally a sold-out event, and indications are that will be the case again this year, especially with an online ticketing option available for the first time, and tickets selling fast.
The "2024 RSM Law Plunket Art Show" opening night is on Friday, May 10, and the show will then run from May 11 to 26.
