Public Meeting
Rolfe Room, Port Chalmers, Monday 16 February 2009, 8pm
The Mihiwaka Art Circus Trust organises the annual Kite Parade and Kite Festival in Port Chalmers as well as artist-in-residence projects in the Port Chalmers School and community. We have regularly received funding for these projects for the last 14 years. Artists involved have included Donna Dementé, Matthew Robertson, and SongBong to name just a few.
This year we are losing a number of trustees and are looking for new people to join the trust.
With a new trust we will be able to continue organising artist residencies and continue with the annual Kite Parade and Festival. There is also scope to take things in new directions, enhancing the arts in our community in other ways, changing the events we currently run, and creating new events. On the other hand, we will have to wind up the organisation if we don’t get some new people onto the trust.
If you are interested in the future of the Mihiwaka Art Circus Trust then come to the public meeting. Coming along to the meeting does not mean that you will become a trustee – it just means that you are interested in the future of the organisation and want to have a say about that. However, as well as that, if you are interested in becoming a trustee then that’s a good reason to come to the meeting too.
Enquiries: please phone Chris Hilder, 472 7541, or email cj.hilder-at-clear.net.nz.
Fourteenth Annual PORT-able Art Parade and Kite Festival
2008 was the fourteenth year of the PORT-able Art Parade and Kite Festival in Port Chalmers.
Drum Making Workshop
SongBong ran a drum making workshop in Port Chalmers. This workshop was part of a residency for the Portable Art Parade and Kite Festival, which was funded by Creative Communities. The workshop was full and the ten participants each made a large double-headed drum (12" diameter) under the expert tuition of David Grace.
Parade and Kite Festival
The Parade and Kite Festival was held on Sunday November 16th at 12 noon. It was one of the most visually stunning parades we have seen - dominted by African style mask and accompanied by live drumming and marimbas. The kite festival was very sunny and warm, but actually getting a kite in the air was a challenge that was met by numerous children running around furiously trying to get enough wind.
Special thanks
A team of volunteers from Event Traffic Management Otago provided assistance with traffic management and this help was greatly appreciated. Traffic safety is paramount in an event like this, so many thanks to the helpers on the day who contributed to a safe event.
2007
In 2007 we featured artists Katrina Thomson and Tania Robinson. The parade featured hundreds of highly colourful and creative works made from cardboard boxes of all sizes and shapes. Tania also facilitated a video-making workshop which procuced a short video about Port Chalmers (which will be available soon on this wesite). The Parade and Kite Festival took place in perfect weather conditions. The boxes looked fantastic in the sunshine. Winds were just right for kite flying, and our kite expert Rod Jansen was able to get his biggest kite in the air – a magnificent sight.
2006
2006 was the twelfth year of the PORT-able Art Parade and Kite Festival in Port Chalmers.
Kaitrin McMullan and Anna Bowen were artists-in-residence at Port Chalmers School, and their work with the children of the school led up to the PORT-able Art Parade on Sunday 5th November. The parade featured puppets, art work, and music that the school children created during the residency. Due to wet weather the parade was held inside the Town Hall, which was a very satisfactory alternative venue.
The Port Chalmers Kite Festival
followed at 12.30pm. This is a free family event that features
kites flown by local and visiting kite experts as well as
music, and stalls. A large number of local kite enthusiasts
usually turn out to fly kites. In 2006 we had very calm
conditions, a period of several minutes of good flying,
followed by a howling southerly that tore most of the kites out
of the sky. However, Port Chalmers kite flyers were undaunted
and were be back in force the following year.
Full list of artists
Full list of artists over the years (47 KBytes)
Contact us
For further information contact:
Chris Hilder
Projects Coordinator
Mihiwaka Art Circus, 9 Slant Street, Careys Bay, Port Chalmers
Phone (03) 472 7541, Cell 027 463 8422, cj.hilder-at-clear.net.nz
with financial support from Creative Communities Dunedin and Community Trust Otago
Updated September 2008. Pictures from Art Circus files.
