The Lewis Invitation Art Exhibition

The Lewis Invitation Art Exhibition opened on Friday 15th August at the Cambridge Town Hall. Over the past 3 years this event has become a popular fixture in the Waikato arts calendar.

The exhibition is a chance for Lewis Barristers and Solicitors to provide the community with accessible art, to support local artists and to thank their clients for their support.

This year’s theme “Faces of the Waikato” was widely interpreted by the artists and was diverse in styles.  It also saw different mediums integrated into the show including metal pieces and photography.  The result was 80 stunning artworks exhibited over the weekend.   

An exciting feature of the opening night format is the voting for “2008 Emerging Artist”.  Four artists, who are new to the arts scene and have never exhibited before, are invited to participate in the exhibition. The overall winner then has the opportunity for a solo show at the Empire Gallery in Cambridge and automatic inclusion in future Lewis Exhibitions.

The four emerging artists selected this year were Cameron Suisted, Julie Sills, Hayley Simmonds and Jane Thomson who all received a one year’s subscription to the NZ Art Guild.  Pauline Tapping and Helen Frost, who were the previous winners of the emerging artists’ award in 2006 and 2007, also received a one year’s subscription to the NZ Art Guild.   The overall winner this year was Cameron Suisted who is a first year architecture student.

The event was a fantastic success with several opening night sales and hundreds of people visiting it over the weekend. This is a testament to Lyn Murray who is the event coordinator. Lyn has extensive experience as a practicing artist, gallery owner, arts presenter for regional TV and a mentor/lecturer for the arts industry.  She is a proud member of the NZ Art Guild and currently divides her time between the UK and NZ.

Other participating artists are

Lisa Blundell

Celeste Broad

Dean Corbett

Berys Daly

Peter Dornauf

Helen Frost (Member of the NZ Art Guild)

Carole Hughes

Lorraine Jones

Des Lattey (Member of the NZ Art Guild)

Margo Lee (Member of the NZ Art Guild)

Bruce McLauchlan

Wendy Mikkelsen

Lyn Murray (Member of the NZ Art Guild)

Barry Ross Smith

Heather Russell-Willison

Wayne Sinclair

Yvonne Singleton

Gavin Smith

Marc Spijkerbosch

Pauline Tapping (Member of the NZ Art Guild)

Caren Thompson