The artists who have made the finals of the Zonta Ashburton Women’s Art Awards will share their creations with the public at an upcoming exhibition.
With an unprecedented 126 entries in the art awards, the judges had a tough time selecting the finalists whose works will go on display at the Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum in March.
The opening night will be held on March 7 with the exhibition running from March 8 to April 27, 10am-4pm.
Preselection judging resulted in 31 female artists qualifying for the premier award finals, while 25 female artists aged 16 and 20 are in the running for the young generation award.
There will also be a people’s choice award in which visitors can vote for their favourite work throughout the exhibition.
The awards aim to raise the status of visual artists who identify as women and acknowledge the contribution women make to the greater art discourse, Judge Christina Read said.
The award is aligned with the values of Zonta International, which exists to advance the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy.
Read said all the artworks submitted for the awards were of a high calibre, making it particularly difficult to choose the finalists.
“It has been an absolute honour and privilege to witness the depth of creativity emerging from the Waitaha Canterbury region from these talented women artists,” Read said.
“Creativity is a profoundly courageous act – it requires vulnerability and bravery to share one’s vision with the world. It’s been inspiring to see.”
The judging panel consists of three professionals from the art sector, representing academic, curatorial and practice-based backgrounds.
The preselection process is based on an anonymous number ranking system with judges seeing images and reading an artist statement supplied with the entry.
The final judging will take place at the gallery. The winners will be announced at the exhibition opening on Friday, March 7, at 7pm.
A solo exhibition by last year’s premier award winner, Marie Porter, will be held at the same time in the gallery.
A generous grant from NZ Creative Communities has enabled the creation of a free catalogue which will include details on all the finalists, along with judges’ and sponsors’ profiles.
Judges for the 2025 awards are:
⦁ Jenna Packer, full-time practicing artist.
⦁ Christina Read, Senior Lecturer in Fine Arts at Whitecliffe School on Fine Arts.
⦁ Kyla Mackenzie, Curator and Collections Manager at Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi O Whakatū.
The Zonta Ashburton Women’s Art Awards finalists for 2025 are:
Amie Blackwell, Saskia Bunce-Rath, Sheena Burton, Emma Byrne, Marie Celeste, Carolyn Currie, Deanna Gracie, Katie Hallam, Julia Holden, Julia Holderness, Ina Johann, Yuki Komiyama, Monica Koster, Claire Langlands, Vic Mangan, Jessica Marcotte, Malaea McFadyen, Ferne Mcintosh, Amy McMillan, Nina Morris, Maree Quinn, Gemma Root, Cheriene Singer, Elfi Spiewack, Paige Tonkin, Charrette Van Eekelen, Elise Waterson, Clara Wells, Shannon Williamson, Sophie Wood, Viv Wotton.
Finalists for the young generation award are:
Heilee Amonelo, Khaijren Neya Balbuena, Nina Banva, Sophie Browniee, Marley Celedonio, Ella Clarke-Powell, Abbey Cruickstank, Anna Do, Gracymay Ellen, Alexis Elliott, Margarette Erfe, Georgia Grins, Madeline Hann, Reka Harvey, Mackenzie Keech, Rose Langford, Kate Lusby, Rosie Major, Scarlett Giffin Munn, Lily Kempton Reeves, Emily Smith, Yua Tanaka, Aska Ueda, Sienna Yearbury, Ako Yoshizawa.
