Test Tube is an exciting new initiative from the team at The Incubator Creative Hub, designed as a Creative Innovation Project. Over a series of bi-monthly network events, Tauranga’s creative community of emerging and established innovators of artistic practice will have the chance to trial their projects and ideas, connect with supporters, mentors and potential investors, network with like-minded artists, performers and designer-makers, and put their ideas to the wider local community.
These events are literally a test bed for new work, specifically targeted to support students, arts graduates and fledgling artists who are looking to experiment and make significant changes in their work, through form, materials, themes, and presentation styles.
It also encourages community groups to test products where creativity has been applied to design products for fundraising or merchandise.
Test Tube nights will be hosted by The Incubator Creative Hub Charitable Trust at The Historic Village, with the hub of activity centred on The Incubator’s own HQ.
Each event will disrupt the traditional market type event with an engaging mix of live performance, workshops, mini-exhibitions and of course food trucks and a pre event professional development sessions.
This lively mix will entice the creative, the contributors and the curious, as our city’s most innovative, skilled, and original thinkers present their newest ideas and original concepts. Work on show will be diverse and exciting, spanning music, fashion, painting, craft, choreography and dance, performance, jewellery.
The event will feature a stimulating programme including and introduction to Wynand Claassen from W Dance & Fitness collaborating with accomplished Tauranga artist Kristian Lomath and body artist Sandi Cutts in an Art meets Dance collab project. Expect demonstrations of metal embossing, comedy troupes, a music set from new band the Church Hill Collective and some fresh new poetry performance material from Poet Michael Baxter.
The Incubator’s ambition is for participating creatives to have the chance to connect to those who can help them not only as artistic mentors and sounding boards, but also those who can assist in putting their creative practices on a firm professional footing. A thriving cultural sector is an essential, affirming and attractive part of the mix of any big city, and artists benefit from business coaching, exposure to great role models, strong networks, business skills and marketing support and access to new opportunities, just like any other small business start-ups.
The first session speaker Anne is the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce’s Engagement Coordinator for LINKT , Small Business Tauranga. She has an extensive background in events management and advocacy.
Simone Anderson, director of The Incubator, says “We want to involve leaders of local business, innovation and entrepreneurial growth groups and networks, to help us enrich the cultural life of our exciting city.
Bridging the current void between education completion and the business and l support that any creative entrepreneur requires for success is essential to the continued success of our most innovative and exciting new artists, designers, and performers. Our ambition for Test Tube is to provide an exciting, entertaining, and welcoming new platform for great dialogues, inspiring art and the greater enrichment of our community.
The Incubator Creative Hub is the collision between arts and the people.
A vibrant and diverse destination where audience, creatives, community arts groups meet to practice, celebrate, showcase, and experience art, music and culture.
