With most cruise-ship buses dropping passengers on the one-way between Dunedin Railway Station and Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, the society’s station gallery is a popular destination for visitors.
Otago Art Society (OAS) publicity officer Jenny Longstaff said cruise-ship season was peak time for the mostly volunteer-run gallery, which was often "slammed" with huge visitor numbers.
"It’s great to have so many visitors coming into our gallery, although the sheer volume of people can be a challenge for us sometimes," Longstaff said.
"We really need more volunteers to help us staff the gallery shop, to show people around the galleries, and to answer visitors’ questions."
Visitors to the OAS galleries are being treated to a vibrant, colourful exhibition experience, with more than 160 art works by society members on display in the "Love, Buy, Take: affordable art exhibition".
The Otago Art Society is also running a featured artist series, giving artist members the opportunity to work in the gallery for a week.
The featured artist series began earlier in January with artists Raimo Kuparinen, society president Mary-Jane Sneyd and Tash Hurst, and continues with Anne Baldock and Marie Reid-Beadle (January 22-28), Carolyn Fotofili and Belinda Mason (January 29-February 4), and Elaine Grant-Dolby (February 5-11).
"It’s a great way for people to engage with artists, and to get a feel for how it’s done," she said.
In addition, artist Tony Stanford Shields has a pop-up exhibition and will be demonstrating his landscape art on-site at Otago Art Society this week, finishing on Sunday.
A busy year lies ahead for the society, with planning well under way for a Dunedin Fringe Festival exhibition in March and the major Hope & Sons Art Awards exhibition, April 20-May 18. Entries close on March 1.
