Innovative New Zealand sculptor Hannah Kidd will judge the 2023 Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award, with entries open from 15th February.

The annual award, hosted by Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato and supported by the New Zealand National Fieldays Society, challenges artists to turn an iconic Kiwi farming product into art and stake their claim to a share of $8,500 in prize money.

Renowned for her large-scale constructions made of welded steel, Methven-based Kidd will select the finalists and prize-winners through a blind judging process which keeps the artist names secret.

“We’re thrilled to have Hannah on board as her sculpture practice has strong connection to agriculture and its function in our natural environment. She has first-hand knowledge of the ingenuity required to create art from unusual and unruly materials,” said Liz Cotton, Director of Museum and Arts, Waikato Museum. “Fieldays is an iconic event and Waikato Museum is proud to be associated with it through the No.8 Wire National Art Award.”

James Allen, president of the New Zealand National Fieldays Society, said “Each year of the awards brings new creative and dynamic interpretations of the humble agricultural material of no.8 wire, and I expect this year to be no different.”

For the Society, the Awards are a unique nod to our agricultural roots whilst providing opportunities for the wider arts community which we are delighted to continue to support.”
Entries for 2023 close at 1pm on Friday 14 April, and the award will culminate in a free exhibition at Hamilton’s ArtsPost Galleries & Shop, opening on Friday 26 May.

This year’s winner will receive $7,000, with prizes of $1,000 and $500 for the second and third placegetters respectively, and further prizes awarded for People’s Choice and President’s Choice.

To read the competition criteria and access the entry form, visit www.waikatomuseum.co.nz/no8wire

Please note:
For te reo Maaori, Waikato Museum uses double vowels (uu) in place of vowels with a macron (ū) to represent a long vowel sound. This spelling approach is the preference of tangata whenua in Hamilton Kirikiriroa and Waikato iwi for te reo Maaori words. Artists’ titles are shown in their original form.

ABOUT FIELDAYS 
Fieldays is on at Mystery Creek June 14 – 17 2023. Fieldays is the largest agricultural event in the Southern Hemisphere drawing visitors from around the globe. 
Fieldays is run by New Zealand National Fieldays Society, a charitable organisation founded in 1968 for the purpose of advancing primary industries. 
The New Zealand National Fieldays Society thanks their premier and key partners Case IH, Hyundai, Ministry of Primary Industries, and Vodafone for their continued support. 
For more information head to www.fieldays.co.nz. 
ENDS