Judge announced for 2013 Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award

Acclaimed New Zealand sculptor, John Edgar will judge the 2013 Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award.

The annual award, now in its seventh year, is hosted by ArtsPost and sponsored by NZ Agricultural Fieldays.

Waikato Museum Director Cherie Meecham says John Edgar is familiar with the challenge of working with a single medium, a requirement for the award as each entry must comprise at least 75 per cent No.8 wire.

“We’re privileged to have John Edgar curating and judging the award. John brings a vast wealth of experience and understanding to the role and his active interest in sculpting and forming challenging materials gives him an inherent understanding of the complexities and the potential in working with No.8 wire,” she said.
Mr Edgar admits to a certain fondness for the practical potential of No.8 wire and the role it continues to play in everyday life.

“No.8 wire is perhaps the most ubiquitous man-made material in New Zealand and since early colonial days it has played a huge role in both town and country,” he says.

“I am never without a supply in my sculpture workshop; it comes in handy for so many jobs. I am sure it is at the very heart of New Zealanders’ do-it-yourself attitude and our ability to fix anything.”

John Edgar has been exhibiting his work in solo exhibitions since 1979 in New Zealand and Australia as well as several group shows. Mr Edgar has been included in several curated exhibitions which have toured nationwide, and is represented in several public and private collections in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. In 2004, Edgar installed a major commission at the Auckland Domain titled ‘Transformer’ and in 2009 he became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his contribution to the arts, in particular sculpture.

“The entrants to this award continue to inspire and delight us with their imaginative use of No.8 wire and each year we see more entries from throughout New Zealand, with every one a study in creativity and quality,” said Vanessa Richmond, Manager Mystery Creek Events at NZ National Agricultural Fieldays.
Entry is now open for the 2013 Fieldays No. 8 Wire National Art Award and entries close on Tuesday, 20 April 2013. The winner will receive $4000, with second place and third place getters receiving $1500 and $1000 respectively.

The winners will be announced at a gala evening opening on Thursday, 6 June before the exhibition opens from 7 June until 15 July at ArtsPost Galleries & Shop on Hamilton’s Victoria Street.

Whanganui design student, Max Deutscle won first place in the 2012 Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award with his entry ‘The Hollow Tiki’ in June this year.

For more information and entry details visit www.artspost.co.nz.