Creative opportunities in Whanganui are limited only by your imagination. Not only is our creative sector diverse, but it’s also tight-knit and supportive. It’s easy to get to know the people in the sector as well as approach local galleries, venues and shops for opportunities to share your work.
Support for Creatives
The creative sector is important to us, and we have programmes dedicated to lifting up our sector and making this a great place for creative workers to live and develop a career.
Creatives, Coffee, Cake is a bi-monthly casual meet-up for local creatives at Article Cafe. The sessions include a 10-minute intro from an expert in the sector and then plenty of time to drink coffee, eat cakes and chat.
Making It is a programme that gives visual artists and makers the opportunity to develop business and financial literacy through one-on-one workshops with experts on creative businesses.
Amplify Grants fund the behind-the-scenes work local creatives are doing. This could be a new website, specialised tools or other necessary resources.
The Creative Communities Scheme is a partnership between Whanganui District Council and Creative New Zealand to promote local arts projects.
Public Art Fund supports the delivery of innovative and exciting public art in Whanganui.
Our economic development agency, Whanganui & Partners, also has a Strategic Lead dedicated to working with the arts and creative sector. Get in touch for support with applying for funding.
Residencies
Keen to dip a toe into our creative community? We’ve got three artists’ residencies that can give you a chance to live and work in Whanganui. Just know that creatives who arrive for short-term residencies do have a track record of digging in and making Whanganui home.
