Fred Staub Open Art
 

 

 

 

In 2013 V Wor Bro Fred Staub left as part of his Will a bequest to the OMCT for Educational purposes.  Because of his long association with the teaching of art in Dunedin, including being a Head of School, at the Dunedin School of Art, the OMCT initiated an association with the Otago Polytech / Dunedin School of Art.

This takes the form of twice annually donations to support the Schools annual programme of Seminars, exhibitions and Artists in Residence. The majority of these events are open to the public, but also add to the students opportunities for interacting with ‘out of Dunedin’ artists and art experts in a number of fields.

    

Some example of the art produced
 

If sculptor Jerry S. Howlett was attempting to creep-out his audience then he completely succeeded with this massive, macabre creation.

  

The detail in the disturbing sculpture ‘Prometheus Bound’ compelled visitors to return again and again. Though it is certain they would have fled if the lighting had failed!

  
         
 

An extraordinary conglomeration of materials makes for truly extraordinary jewellery as in this piece, ‘Tyrian Crab’ by Meg van Hale.

  

It is difficult to do justice to the size of her paintings, but large canvases by Madison Kelly towered over the main entrance to the Dunedin School of Art’s ‘SITE’ exhibition.

  
         
 

It’s not such an easy task to capture “youth” or “young age” within a portrait, but Chelsea Hayes manages well in this loosely rendered oil.

  

“Otago Landscapes” by Jemma Russell.
Acrylic on Perspex.

  
         

Susan Nunn’s ‘After Dinner’, which is an indictment on fast food’s encroachment into leisurely family dinners, causing these to become a thing of the past. Everything in this display is sewn.

  

Jeweller Alison Wallace says that she attempts “to make beautiful jewellery out of discarded trash.” Though no owner of her work would wish to discard her captivating creations

  
       

‘Help Me’ was created with desperation reflecting Megan Griffiths’ utter frustration with off-shore call centre inefficiencies.

  

Through quick rendition artist Craig Cook is able to imbue his work with great movement - quite a feat when one considers that his subject is basically a landscape!

  
       
 

 

 

 

Then Head of the Dunedin School of Art, Professor Leoni Schmidt stands beside a banner promoting the Fred Staub Open Art initiative. A sculptor and Freemason, Fred Staub worked for 26 years for the DSA and would have been proud that his legacy now assists with the education of new artists in the 21st century.

  

2022 Fred Staub Artist in Residence

Adrienne Martyn – Artist Biography

   I was born in Wellington (1950) and brought up in Invercargill where at the age of eighteen I left to live in
Dunedin where I learned photographic and darkroom practices and procedures from commercial
photographers. From there I worked as a freelance darkroom technician for fashion photographer Euan
Sarginson in Christchurch who encouraged me to take photographs using his sophisticated camera
equipment. After a brief stint with an advertising photographer in Auckland I secured a position in 1972
at the Sydney Morning Herald as a darkroom technician and studio photographer. During this time I
became involved with the Sydney Women’s Film Group, and contributed documentary photographs to
feminist newspapers, magazines and books including radical feminist poet Kate Jennings seminal work
‘Mother I’m Rooted – an anthology of Australian women poets’.

After returning to Dunedin I briefly attended Otago Polytechnic School of Art in 1977 where I was
introduced to the works of Vermeer by art history lecturer Raymond Ward. From this experience I chose
to leave documentary photography behind to explore abstraction through a variety of subjects. My first
exhibition at Bosshard Galleries, Dunedin, led me back to a brief stay in Sydney where I attended the
Australian Centre for Photography workshops in Paddington.

In 1980 I set up a studio in Moray Place where I focused on photographing portraits based on my own
ideas of what I wanted a portrait to be. Vermeer was my guiding light. During this time I also produced
‘Surfaces’, a series of abstract photographs on the play of light on stucco textures, and photographed
artist friends. Prints from these early works are presented in permanent collections including Te Papa,
Auckland Art Gallery, Dunedin Public Art Gallery and The Dowse. In 1986 NAG/Te Papa commissioned me
to photograph ‘Artist Portraits’ for its permanent collection and in 1988 Dunedin Public Art Gallery
mounted and toured a survey exhibition of my portrait work covering 1979-1987 period.

During the late 1980’s I juxtaposed architectural elements with portraiture creating ‘Absence: Presence’
using my images of the interior stairwell of the vacated Excelsior Hotel and theatrical portraits of my
friends.

I moved to Melbourne in 1995 returning to NZ in 1998 where I photographed elements and environs
surrounding the Otatara Pa Historic Reserve, Hawkes Bay. ‘Otatara’ was presented at Hawkes Bay
Museum 1999. I became Artist in Residence 2000 at Waikato Museum exploring volcanic history of Lake
Taupo – a selection of images from this residency were presented and collected by Waikato Museum.
In 2005 I gained my MFA (1st Class Hons.) from Elam School of Art where I created a series of
analogue/digital images of the Louvre and other galleries to investigate the power of the frame. I digitally
erased the content of classical and contemporary paintings within their frames drawing attention to how
presentation devices can influence the viewers perception of art. The project ‘Looking for the Subject’
was exhibited at City Gallery Wellington in 2007. During late 2017 I extended this body of work by
photographing gallery and museum interiors devoid of their objects. I focused mainly on the inter-play of
light on the empty surfaces to present gallery interiors as art works in themselves. The spaces include
Anderson Park Art Gallery, Sarjeant Gallery, Robert McDougall Art Gallery and Southland Museum.
I recently completed photographing artists personal art and object collections as they arranged them
within their home environments. This new series ‘the order of things’ is being exhibited at Olga Gallery
January 2022.

I live and work in the Wellington region commuting to wherever my art practice takes me.

Adrienne Martyn
27 October 2021		  
For further information on this funding click here.
 

 

 

 

 

 

OMCT website by Worsfold Software Ltd, Alexandra