5 NEW SHOWS/OPEN STUDIOS/STREET PARTY!

Name: 5 NEW SHOWS/OPEN STUDIOS/STREET PARTY!
Start: 2026-03-13T07:30:00+13:00
End: 2026-03-13T09:00:00+13:00
Location: 159 Seventeenth Ave, Tauranga South, Tauranga 3112, New Zealand

Schedule

Fri Mar 13 2026 at 07:30 am to 09:00 am

UTC+13:00

Location

159 Seventeenth Ave, Tauranga South, Tauranga 3112, New Zealand | Tauranga, BP

Your Friday the 13th after-work plans just got an upgrade. No bad luck here only great vibes!
Forget the superstitions come fill the Village streets with art-loving people instead. We're throwing open the doors of our five galleries, launching seven artist studios, and transforming the Village Street into a buzzing celebration of grassroots creativity.
Grab a drink from the licensed bar, enjoy our grazing platter thanks to the wonderful Chris at Gate Pa new World then wander from space to space, and soak up the Live Music and the energy of a true creative community. Meet the artists in their spaces and enjoy the diverse array of new exhibitions.
VILLA STUDIOS: OFFICIALLY OPEN
We are beyond thrilled to officially acknowledge Villa Studios - a stunning artist-occupied space now working home to seven studios and eight incredible artists. They're throwing open their doors with live music and surprises.
You’ll love meandering down the yawning length of hallway to view the studios through the display windows and even better go and have a yarn with the artists. See the mess, the magic, and the works in progress. These aren't hobbyists—these are professionals who eat, sleep, and breathe art.
The artists of Villa Studios:
Shona MacKenzie – Painter & Multimedia Artist
NZ award winning artist, check out Shona’s vibrant, layered works that explore her Scottish roots landscapes, memory, place, and the spaces between.
Leah Creaven – Rug Tufter
Bold, textural contemporary creations that bring colour and warmth to the floor—and the walls. Come listen to Leah’s gorgeous Galloway accent as she speaks about practice and you’ll be sure to want to sign up to one of her workshops!
Mathew Johnson – Photographer & Poet
Images and words that sit alongside each other, each telling half the story. Mat is a delightful character of our art Village life – an inspiration and role model- Come check out his happy place Studio
Hope McConnell – Artist & Designer
Hope’s playful and vibrant works grace the packaging and branding of some pretty well known household names and her studio is inspiration of design and colour. If you are really lucky you may get to meet baby Sanne!
Mara Takiwa – Artist & Art Therapist
Originally from Germany we are delighted to have the ever-cheerful Mara as a brand new resident artist and therapist as part of the Incubator resident artist whānau.
Laura Neundoerfer –Painter
Laura is our Artist in residence visiting Aotearoa from Germany. Her textured canvases are intriguing, and Laura has thrown herself into popular paint and Sip workshops. Come hear about her art and book a spot for yourself and friends.
Dianna Smith – Painter
Dianna is an award-winning NZ artist with stunning still life painting – another brand new face we are thrilled to introduce you to Dianna and for you to experience the works for yourself.
Emily Johnson – Artist & Digital Creator
Pushing pixels and pigment, Emily's not only an artist but also a tutor – specialising in rangatahi programmes and workshops
🖼 FIVE NEW EXHIBITIONS ACROSS THE VILLAGE
1. Te Manaia Jennings: Revival
The Incubator Gallery
Te Manaia Jennings presents Revival, a solo exhibition featuring women emerging, rising, and returning to themselves. Painted across time, these works quietly reveal a thread of liberation and wholeness inspired by the artist's own journey through mental health, physical adversity, and a deepening faith. Vivid, dreamlike, and deeply felt, Revival is an invitation to find inspiration of your own.
2. In Quiet Company: The Space of a Pause
The People's Gallery - Toi Ka Rere
The Space of a Pause invites you to breathe. This group exhibition brings together seven female artists from Aotearoa—mothers, makers, and creators—who carve out moments of stillness amidst busy lives. Working across painting, textile, photography, and object-based art, they offer works that don't demand attention, but gently ask you to paise and look closer.
Featuring: Rhianna May, Rose Ackland, Hollie Teutscher, Jessica Crowe, Rose Kennedy, Lisa Billing / Heymaker Studio
3. Artist Z: Thin Skinned
The Pothouse Gallery
We welcome back Turangi artist Z for his second exhibtion of ceramic works that hold their breath. Artist Z presents Thin Skinned, a solo exhibition of stunning brutalist ceramics exploring fragility, tension, and the spaces between. Fresh from a string of award successes, these sculptural pieces balance on the edge delicate yet strong-Handle with care, even with your eyes!

4. Nick Eggleston: Dogs with Sticks
The Firestation
The dogs are back and this time, they've got sticks. Nick Eggleston returns with his beloved, attitude-filled canine characters in a pop-up exhibition. But wait, there's more: we're also unveiling the Village's first-ever Stick Library for dogs. Yes, you read that right. A library. Of sticks. For dogs. Borrow, return, repeat. Dogs very welcome.

5. Window Gallery Artists: New Works
📍 The Artist Window Gallery
Fresh off the easel and into the window. Our first quarterly rotation of 2026 brings a vibrant collection of new works from the talented collective of 40+ artists and jewellers who make The Window Gallery the only one of its kind in Tauranga—a true community-led space where creativity lives and breathes. From painting and printmaking to contemporary jewellery and small sculpture, come discover what they've been making.

AN ART VILLAGE AWAITS
This is what it looks like when a creative community comes together.
No pretention - Just good people, great art, and the electric feeling of a village alive!
Come straight from work. Bring a friend. Grab a drink. Explore the spaces. The Incubator Creative Hub in The Historic Village, 17th Avenue, Tauranga South, Tauranga.