Blue Oyster Art Project Space News

Posted: Thursday Feb 27, 2020

Current and upcoming exhibitions plus a job opportunity

Upcoming Exhibition: Bouquet | Eleanor Cooper
Friday 6 March–Saturday 4 April 2020

Opening event: Thursday 5 March at 5.30pm
Artist talk: Friday 6 March at 12 noon

Free to attend, all welcome.

The Blue Oyster Art Project Space is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Auckland-based artist Eleanor Cooper.

Cooper’s work often articulates aspects of landscape neglected by Western traditions of the scenic and picturesque. In doing so, it seeks to recreate landscape as a rich terrain of sensory experience, narrative and belonging.

Drawing on personal experiences as a field ranger in nature reserves, Bouquet presents new sculptures and photographs that recollect first-hand encounters, traces of human interaction and ecological findings. Delving into various pockets of land managed by the Department of Conservation––including the “earthly paradise” of Sir George Grey on Kawau Island and the marine mammal breeding grounds in the Subantarctic Islands––this project illuminates some of the beliefs and cultural imperatives that have both produced and upheld the conservation estate in Aotearoa.[1]

Eleanor Cooper is an artist, writer and field ranger for the Department of Conservation. In 2019 she completed the MFA programme at the University of Auckland, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy) in 2012. She has exhibited widely within Aotearoa including at City Gallery Wellington, Hastings City Art Gallery, Mokopōpaki, Artspace, Split/Fountain, RM Gallery, The Physics Room and Objectspace, as well as providing written contributions to a number of publications including Argos Aotearoa and the recently published Pipi Press publication In Common.

Bouquet is presented as part of the 2020 Dunedin Fringe Festival programme.

Job Opportunity

We're looking for a Design, Publishing & Communications Manager to join our team!

We’re searching for someone with a degree in graphic design, visual arts, or similar experience and a passion for contemporary visual arts, design, and publishing.

The Design, Publishing & Communications Manager will be responsible for maintaining and strengthening Blue Oyster’s relationships with our audience and the media, so excellent written communication skills and attention to detail are key.

While this role will be directly responsible for in-house design, publishing and the gallery’s external communications, the successful applicant will also work across the organisation to assist the Director in realising the strategic vision and goals for the gallery, enable individual artists to generate high quality and critically engaging projects and help with the day-to-day running of the gallery.

This is a chance to build on Blue Oyster’s strong reputation for supporting experimental and emerging art practice by further developing our visual identity and institutional voice. As Blue Oyster embarks on its third decade as a contemporary art project space this is an opportunity to build upon and strengthen our visual identity.

This role is 32-40 hours per week. Hours will be negotiated with the successful applicant. Days negotiable, however must be available some evenings and weekends (openings, board meetings and events).

The starting salary is $42,000 per annum based on a 40 hour week.
Download the full position description here

To apply:

• Send your CV with two references, a cover letter, an up-to-date design portfolio, and a writing sample (can be previously published, approx 500 words) to director@blueoyster.org.nz

• Download a copy of the Blue Oyster 2020-2022 Strategic Plan here.

Application deadline: 4pm, Monday 9 March, 2020.

Current exhibition: Te kete rokiroki | Hōhua Thompson
Closing Saturday 29 February

Te kete rokiroki closes this Saturday 29 February so this is your last week to spend some time with the māra kūmara which have just begun sprouting!

Te kete rokiroki is a venue for sharing and discussion through the collaborative maintenance of the māra kūmara, which provides us with fertile ground and stable footing with which to grow our own narratives to take forward.