Future of arts in Christchurch to be discussed | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

Young art enthusiasts will meet tonight to muse over the future of the arts in quake-hit Christchurch.

Organiser Steph Walker, 28, of central Christchurch, is campaigning to keep the visual arts a feature of her home city's culture as it rebuilds in the aftermath of February's quake.

Walker, the general manager of the biannual Christchurch Arts Festival, said the Facebook-advertised "youthful yarn about the arts in Christchurch" would be a forum for younger members of the arts community to share their visions for the city they will inherit.

She said that one of the quake's few "silver linings" was that artists would have a clean slate to work with.

"It's been a catalyst for things to change, and a good opportunity." Walker said.

Walker said the Christchurch arts scene had gone underground due to a lack of spaces for local artists to exhibit their work, as several major galleries were damaged by the quake or remained within the central city red zone cordon.

Canterbury University fourth year painting student Emily Hartley-Skudder, 22, had noticed growing interest in campus shows at the SoFA gallery, as more people sought out the city's art scene.

Hartley-Skudder said she has struggled to find a venue to show her work after the quake due to the competition for the few spaces available to artists.

She initially thought she might have to leave Christchurch to pursue her career but is now feeling more optimistic about the future of art in Christchurch, citing GapFiller - a movement which temporarily filled vacant spaces with creative projects - as an example.

"People are making the best of the situation and thinking of new and innovative ways to keep the arts scene alive."

She said she hoped to liaise with Creative New Zealand and the Christchurch City Council to create legislation to ensure the arts were recognised as an essential part of rebuild planning, as an illustration of "the way we live".

"A youthful yarn about the arts in Christchurch" is an open forum hosted by Arts Voice Christchurch and Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Techology (CPIT). It will be held in the Christchurch Polytechnic Students' Association building on Madras Street at CPIT from 5.30pm to 8.30pm this evening.