Ventana Creative Collective Opens a Window to the World
Many locals and visitors alike have been intrigued by the teasing window covering in what will shortly open in Kitchener Street as Ventana Creative Collective. The word ‘ventana’ is a Spanish word meaning ‘window’ and founder Auriga Martin intends to provide a ‘window to the world’ here in central Martinborough. All will be revealed in early July.
Auriga has had a dream of “ providing the community with a creative hub where people can come together, be inspired by artists, learn and develop new skills in workshops”. The Collective will be offering the community “art and craft workshops, regular art gallery shows, acoustic musical performances and custom group events such as birthday parties, hens’ celebrations, and life drawing”.
VCC opens on Saturday 9 July, with a range of weekend workshops for both adults and children on offer during the months of July and August. Ventana has partnered with the popular Tora Tora Tora Music Festival and will be bringing regular TTT acts to Martinborough. On opening night there will be a musical performance with wine, tapas and intimate acoustic music by Jhan Lindsay, Sam Auger, Claire Terry, Vanessa Stacey and Lisa Tomlins. Art gallery shows are also part of the VCC mix, opening with Hello Martinborough showing 10 local New Zealand artists’ artwork.
Auriga invites anybody interested to check out the website at https://ventanacreativecollective.co.nz and those who sign up to a workshop before the 30th of June will be in the draw to win a ticket to the Taste of Tora music performance on opening night.
And if all this is not enough to whet local appetites, weekly sessions on different themes will run Tuesdays to Thursdays over the next two months. One focuses on learning to use a sewing machine, a second encourages people to bring along their technology device for technical assistance, there will be a knitting and crochet circle, and some after school fun with clay for kids.
As well as providing the community with a creative hub, Auriga says that “ We’re offering small-business artisan lifestyle and homeware items that you might not ordinarily see while out shopping in the Wairarapa. Items are carefully curated from a network of artists and designers working both locally and overseas. We have picked items that are unique and that spark inspiration, joy and general day-to-day well-being”.
Perhaps unexpectedly, Auriga has had a 15-year career in software and IT, but is now anticipating a return to her creative roots and being able to use her degree in fine arts from UCLA in the United States. She describes her new focus as combining “ the art and IT worlds in a place where people will connect and be motivated and empowered to grow in confidence and, above all else, have fun”.
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