Under the gaze of the local community, sculptures will be emerge from Oamaru stone as part of the Oamaru Stone Symposium. The Otago Community Trust is supporting the eighth Symposium to be held at Takaro Park from the 5th to the 20th November with a $6,000 donation.
The event, hosted by the NZ Oamaru Live Stone Art Inc, wills see more than 25 artists carving two tonne blocks of Oamaru stone. The community is invited to watch the artists at work and witness the transformation of the stone.
There will be a mix of experienced and first time carvers. NZ Oamaru Live Stone Art Inc Chairman Matt King said “This is a great opportunity for local and South Island artists to have their talents showcased. We will have some well known artists as well as people who are turning their hand to this for the first time. We even have someone who usually repairs grandfather clocks keen to tackle the Whitestone”.
Otago Community Trust Chairperson Stuart Walker said “We are proud to support this event, everyone in the community can get involved as participants or audiences, it is also a great reminder of the master craftsmen skills that are tied to the identity and heritage of Oamaru”.
The symposium will conclude with a silent auction coinciding with the Victorian Heritage Celebrations and Fete. This donation was part of the $87,700 the Otago Community Trust granted to 18 organisations across Otago over September this year. This also included $25,000 to support the Big Night In concert to be held at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium on the 12th November.
