Welcome to Vincents

entrance to Vincents Art Workshop

Vincents Art Workshop is a fantastic award-winning art studio in downtown Wellington. Vincents celebrates diversity and welcomes all people – whether you have done a lot of art, or none at all. And it’s free!

We offer…

A warm welcome.
Art materials, equipment, expertise and inspiration.
A place to learn new skills and explore your creative side.
A safe environment to work in.
Friendly, helpful tutors who are skilled artists.
Opportunities for artists to exhibit their work.
A chance to work on community art projects.
A day just for women (Thursdays).

We are located at Willis St Village, 5 / 148 Willis St.

Covid 19 Update

Vincents will re-open on Thursday 9th September under Level 2 restrictions.

Updates will be posted here and on our Facebook page.

The planned Semester Break will now be postponed until a later date.

The opening of the Ceramic Show at Vincents Gallery has been postponed until a later date. We have posted an online exhibition of the artworks on our Facebook page: Ceramic Show Online Exhibition

Stay safe everyone!

Vincents Opening Policy at Level 2 (Delta variant)

Vincents Art Workshop will operate at Level 2 from Thursday 9^th September for registered artists until the Government announces that the country is back in level 1

We will not be registering any new artists during this time.

The Main Studio will be open for up to 10 artists for two sessions per day, and one session on Saturday.

Artists will be able to book in for one session per day by phoning on 499 1030 or talking with staff when they are in the studio. There may be spaces for walk-ins depending on numbers booked in for the session.

The opening hours will be:

Monday 10:30am – 1:00pm and 2:00pm – 4:30pm

Tuesday 10:30am – 1:00pm and 2:00pm – 4:30pm

Wednesday 10:30am – 1:00pm and 2:00pm – 4:30pm

Thursday 1:00pm – 3:30pm

Friday 10:30am – 1:00pm and 2:00pm – 4:30pm

Saturday 10:30am – 1:30pm

Masks or face coverings must be worn in the studio and while queueing outside.

If you have an exemption from wearing a mask due to health reasons, please contact us and we will find other ways to connect with you e.g. online.

If you don’t have access to art materials at home, please talk to us and we may be able to arrange a delivery of art materials or your works in progress.

Artists attending Vincents will need to observe social distancing including being spaced 2 meters apart while waiting outside the studio. Artists will have an allocated area to sit and work in during the session to maintain at least a 1 metre distance between artists.

Most of the art materials in the studio will be available, some of which will be issued by staff at an ‘Art Bar’.

Artists will be given a box to store artworks in, which they will then store at Vincents for the duration of Level 2.

There will be no eating or drinking in the studio.

The Pottery Room will be open for one person per session which will need to be booked in advance.

The Tool Workshop will be closed.

Access to the toilets will be one person at a time.

There will be no regular Tuesday Workshops, Eating Meetings, Life Drawing or gallery openings during.

The gallery will be open for visitors. All visitors must follow our Level 2 guidelines.

Artists will need to tidy and clean their own workspace 15 minutes before the end of the session.

Disinfectant and gloves will be supplied to wipe down surfaces.

During the break between sessions staff will check that cleaning has been done thoroughly. Staff will also regularly clean door handles, handrails, taps, sinks etc.

This policy will be reviewed regularly during Level 2

Administrator Position

We are currently looking for an Administrator for 32 hours per week.

The ideal candidate will have excellent computer literacy, be familiar with Xero, Microsoft Office software especially Excel and Word. They will be competent with payroll, IRD payments, Kiwisaver payments, ACC, GST, and budget preparation.

They will be well organised, friendly, great with people and have commitment to the principles of Te Tiriti O Waitangi. This role includes welcoming people into the studio, supporting the team with administration and record keeping, looking after Vincents accounts, and helping with preparation of funding applications and accountability reports.

Please contact us on 04 499 1030 or vincentartworkshop@xtra.co.nz for a copy of the position description. Then send your CV and a letter of application to Glen McDonald, Coordinator at vincentsartworkshop@xtra.co.nz

Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday 22 September. Apply here on SEEK

Vincents will be closed:

Monday 25th October for Labour Day

New Artist Orientations

Fridays 10:30am

You will need to attend a New Artist Orientation before you can use the studio, attend a Tuesday Workshop or use the Clay Room.

The orientation will take about 15 minutes and will introduce new artists to the kaupapa of Vincents including values, behavioural guidelines and expectations.

This will also include a general tour of the studio and a time to complete registration forms and art plans.

We will be taking bookings for up to 10 people each week.

Orientations can be arranged outside of these times for people referred from other organisations, those attending with support workers and those wanting to attend on Women’s Day.

If you want to use the Clay Room you will also need to book in to attend a Clay Room Induction (see below).

Clay Room

Vincents Clay Room Inductions

You will need to book in to attend a Clay Room Induction before you use the Clay Room.

Due to the huge increase in popularity of the Vincents Clay Room, we are now offering weekly induction sessions for those wanting to use our clay room for the first time. You may book in for a session once you have already attended one of our weekly New Artist Orientations.

These sessions will involve a Health and Safety induction, an overview of how to create ceramic artworks in the room and a demonstration of basic handbuilding techniques including pinch pots and joining methods.

There will be a limit of 8 people per session so you will need to book by calling us on 04 4991030 or talk to staff when you are at Vincents.

The sessions will begin at this time:

Wednesdays 3:00pm

This will be the only time that you can have an induction to the clay room. You will also need to do this if you want to attend one of our Tuesday Workshops involving clay. The clay room will be closed to other artists from 3:00pm on Wednesdays so we have enough space in the room.

Please be on time for the session or you may miss out. If you are attending the Wednesday session, please arrive by 2:45pm.

Curators of Wellington interview

Curators of Wellington: Vincents Art Workshop with Glen McDonald and Andrew Mitchell

In this episode of a conversation series with the small galleries, creative spaces and artists that make Wellington sing, Suzanne Tamaki visits the dynamic, remarkable art workshop Vincents in the Willis Street Village, which welcomes people from all sectors of society to express themselves. She catches up with director Glen McDonald and senior tutor Andrew Mitchell, introduced to the diverse facilities. Among the artists working, Dan Ross and Beth Mays, whose work is currently being exhibited.

You can go to 'Curators of Wellington' on the Cubadupa website to see more videos. These are being posted by Cubadupa, Artexplore and WellingtonNZ social media channels as they are rolled out. Curators of Wellington is supported by 28 galleries and Wellington City Council and is presented by Cubadupa and Artexplore. It is produced by Mark Amery for the Welllington Independent Arts Trust. Videography by Shyam Patel and Oscar Keys. Music: Aldoc.

Daily Encourager article about Vincents

Here is a link to a recent article about Vincents from Daily Encourager, featuring artist Jack Polly:

https://dailyencourager.co.nz/the-art-of-changing-lives/

Vincents' Artist Group on Facebook

We have created a Facebook group for any Vincents artists to join.

Through the creation of a positive and supportive environment many people have found their involvement in Vincents to be therapeutic. Vincents offers a unique model that uses the creative process to help resolve the internal conflicts a person may be experiencing, enabling the development of self-esteem and individual potential.

During this time of Alert Levels, we offer this page as an extension of Vincents. It can be a way to continue to explore art and creativity and to stay in touch with each other.

Please click on the link below and request to join the group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/218379032576510/

Click here for Online Tutorials

Materials Donations

Vincents Art Workshop relies on donations of art materials and equipment so our artists can continue to explore a wide range of art mediums. Donations of the following are always appreciated:

Artists’ acrylic paints
Artists’ oil paints
Paint brushes
Printing and Screen Printing inks
Good quality paper e.g. watercolour paper
Wool
Tools
Sewing Machines in good working order
Wood (especially sheets of plywood)