Louise Menzies. Supplied
Following the success of the first year of its artist-in-residence programme in 2022, the Stoddart Cottage-Purau residency is hosting two residents in 2023: Delaney Davidson in May and Louise Menzies in September. The residency is run by Stoddart Cottage Gallery in partnership with the artist-owner of Karearea Cottage in Purau where the artists will be based. This year the residency programme is generously supported by Christchurch City Council and is part of Toi Ōtautahi’s Year of the Arts.
Delaney Davidson
While better known for his award winning music, Lyttelton Ōhinehou artist Delaney Davidson has a background in visual arts. Working in oils, printmaking and design, he has exhibited his work in solo shows in Melbourne, Switzerland and New Zealand. As an artist-in-residence at Massey University last year, Delaney presented two exhibitions and a nationwide campaign in collaboration with Tame Iti. He also reconnected with his love of landscape painting, which he plans to explore further over his Stoddart Cottage-Purau residency. Delaney will be sharing some of the work he produces at an event at Stoddart Cottage on Sunday 28 May at 2pm. Further details can be found at: https://www.stoddartcottage.nz/events
Louise Menzies
Joining the residency from Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau, Louise Menzies is a cross-media artist working across a range of materials. Presenting works both in installed environments, and public platforms beyond that of the exhibition, her work has been shown throughout New Zealand’s major public galleries, and in numerous exhibitions and screenings internationally. Louise is a previous recipient of a McCahon House Residency and the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship. Making works that often respond to particular artefacts and histories that explore past and present, during her residency Louise will be engaging with the connection women artists before her had to the Banks Peninsula. These include those involved in The Group, such as Joanna Margaret Paul and Margaret Stoddart.
Stoddart Cottage
Stoddart Cottage is the 1865 birthplace in Diamond Harbour of the respected artist, Margaret Stoddart. It is now a museum, and art gallery with a monthly programme of exhibitions that regularly engage with themes that resonate with the building’s heritage. These include contemporary engagements with nature, ecology, and the local environment; female arts practice; progressive art; and the creative cultures of Whakaraupō. It is also home to the 30-strong Stoddart Cottage Artisans group and their craft shop.