Stories from The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū Collection to the Streets of Nelson.
A partnership between Make/Shift Spaces and the Suter Art Gallery.
April 2021 – ongoing
About ArtWalk
Nelson City Centre ArtWalk is an outdoor art gallery in Nelson’s streets. With 26 sites on vacant walls, ArtWalk takes you on a journey past artworks by some of Nelson’s most celebrated artists, as well as enlarged artworks that have a particular poignancy to Whakatū. ArtWalk’s carefully curated selection of artworks is a strong representation of The Suter’s vast collection, spanning the life of the Gallery – from John Gully’s glorious painting intended to promote the region to the world, to the joie de vivre of Jane Evan’s distinctive light-filled colours, and Robin Slow’s tribute to kōkōwai (red ochre stone) found in Golden Bay.
Make/Shift Spaces + ArtWalk
Make/Shift Spaces developed this concept of ArtWalk during the first COVID lockdown in 2020, due to its ability to remain an accessible experience at any lockdown level. Working in partnership with the Suter Art Gallery, Make/Shift Spaces managed the project and fundraised through local benefactors, sponsors and granting agencies to collectively deliver this major asset to the City Centre.
ArtWalk has been celebrated from many sources since its launch in April 2021 during Nelson Heritage Week and has been credited with raising the profile of the city as an arts experience and generating foot traffic to the benefit of retail and hospitality. Citizens have responded with enthusiasm. The Suter has benefited immensely and acknowledged this by planning an extension of the concept to the towns of Richmond, Mapua, Motueka and Takaka, because the power is not only in the ArtWalk concept but the storytelling that radiates from it, reflecting regional stories, culture, history, and place.