Revitalised SCAPE confirmed for 2010

SCAPE 2010, New Zealand's premier biennial for art in public space, will run from September 24 to November 7 2010, with a clear strategy, strengthened board and new curatorial group focused on achieving a greater impact.

Beca Project Director, Bob Blyth, is the new Trust chair, taking over from Canterbury Museum Director, Anthony Wright. Anthony remains a trustee and is appointed Deputy Chairman. New appointments to the board are VBase Chief Executive Officer, Bryan Pearson; Ngai Tahu Property Limited Chief Executive, Tony Sewell and Chambers PR Managing Director, Tracey Chambers. They join existing Governing Patron, Adrienne, Lady Stewart and trustees the Very Reverend Peter Beck, Marc Mendonça, Fletcher Construction
and Murray Shaw.

Chairman Bob Blyth says the Trust has carefully developed its strategy going forward to ensure Christchurch people are excited, engaged and stimulated by the SCAPE public art projects in 2010.

"The SCAPE 2010 Public Art Walkway will be in the central city, offer a range of high profile sites and easy visitor access, with a staffed hub in Cathedral Square. We want to offer more information and education about the pieces to create wider community interest," he says.

Trust Director, Deborah McCormick adds, "We celebrated our tenth anniversary last year and since then we have taken stock and listened to feedback," she says. "Across ten years, we have gifted six permanent artworks, all by New Zealand artists, to the city and commissioned more than 150 temporary public artworks, 50 of them by New Zealand artists. Last year we focused on increasing the accessibility of SCAPE to the wider community and this will continue to be a key focus in 2010."

"We have re-committed to presenting temporary and permanent high impact public artworks in Christchurch, but SCAPE 2010 will offer fewer pieces, selected against different criteria and a different process, dedicated to two-thirds of the artworks being by New Zealand artists and to wider community involvement."

The Trust has appointed a new Curatorial Group, a panel of experts who will set the artistic direction, select
and work with artists to produce more substantial high impact public art projects. The group has three members, notably a new convenor in Blair French, the Executive Director of the Artspace Visual Art Centre in Sydney. He is joined by Christchurch artist and Arts Foundation Laureate Artist, Julia Morison and Boffa Miskell Landscape Architect, William Field.

Blair French has worked in art galleries in New Zealand, the UK and Sydney and has a dual career as a writer and curator in the field of contemporary art. He is well published, has been the recipient of grants and fellowships and has lectured widely in New Zealand and Australia.

He is in Christchurch and available for interviews in the week beginning October 12.