Invercargill will officially open its new community arts space, Whare Taupua – The Rest Room, at 34 Forth Street, this Thursday (26 Jan) at 4pm.

The project is part of Arts Murihiku's (AM) Pathways For the Arts in Murihiku initiative which recently received a $448,000 grant from the Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s Regeneration Fund.

AM chair Rebecca Amundsen said the new facility would provide a dedicated space where the arts can grow in Southland.

“Opening the community arts space has been a long time in the making, but our team is hugely excited we are now able to offer arts practitioners here in the south a space in which they can continue to grow and build upon their creativity,” Amundsen said. 

“By having a dedicated space for all of the arts, we can help arts practitioners from all around the south not only grow their skills and passions but connect with one another. We know there are many artists in our region doing amazing things, and Whare Taupua will help in making their creative endeavours more visible within our region."

“Our hope for Whare Taupua is also to have a positive impact on access and participation in the sector, and build a ripple effect that will support the development of arts within the wider Southland region.”

Whare Taupua will be open to the public and host community exhibitions, meetings, workshops, small gigs and performances, practice and rehearsal space, short-term working artist space, storage, temporary office use and more.

It will also be available for use by people and groups across the sector and will be low-cost, ensuring there are as few barriers as possible.

AM's Pathways For the Arts in Murihiku initiative aims to develop a framework that supports the long-term development of the capability of the arts sector over 18 months, including an arts incubator programme, resourcing and activating the new community arts space in Invercargill and recording the journey to show the impact of these actions.