Putting your Best Foot Forward for Public Art Opportunities

Have you ever looked at a public art opportunity and thought, ‘I’d love to apply for that… but I have no idea where to start’?

This workshop will provide practical knowledge and the tools needed to enable creatives to gain confidence through understanding how to effectively respond to public art commissions.  It will cover how public art projects are commissioned, what assessors and stakeholders are looking for, and how artists can present strong, compelling proposals that communicate both creative vision and practical feasibility. Participants will gain insight into the role public art plays in shaping identity, placemaking, storytelling, and community connection.

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

• Understand what public art is and how it functions
• Gain insight into the public art commissioning process, including timelines, stakeholders, budgets, and selection criteria.
• Learn how to read, interpret, and respond effectively to a public art brief.
• Develop practical skills for preparing proposals, including artist statements, concept designs and descriptions, and budgets.
• Build confidence in presenting ideas and speaking about their practice.
• Better understand some of the challenges and considerations in public art projects.
• Leave with practical tips, resources, and a clearer understanding of how to position themselves for future public art opportunities.

Date: Thursday 11 June 2026

Time: 9:30am – 11:30am

Where: The Kollective, 145 17th Avenue, Tauranga

Cost: $23

This workshop will be facilitated by Arohanoa Mathews who has a background in fine arts, public art advisory and delivering public art commissions.

Canva for Creatives – May 2026

Creative Bay of Plenty is holding a workshop for creatives on using Canva (a user-friendly visual design website) to the best of your advantage.

• Date: Monday 18 May 2026
• Time: 9:30am – 11:30am
• Where: The Kollective, 145 17th Avenue, Tauranga
• Cost: $23

Canva is an online tool for creating social media tiles, website images, newsletter headings, videos, reels, posters, logos, and more. If you need a beautiful image to promote your creative venture, Canva is the answer, and you don’t need any previous graphic design skills!

This workshop will cover:

• The Basics: sizing your design, uploading images, adding text, downloading different formats
• Designs for social media
• Using templates
• Practical: create a static design for Instagram/Facebook

Please bring a laptop with you as this workshop involves practical examples.

Art Shows 101

• When: Tuesday 17 February, 9am – 12pm
• Where: The Kollective, 145 17th Avenue, Tauranga
• Cost: $48 per person

Is this the year to get your art seen and sold? Art shows where artists present their work are taking place across the country, including one in Tauranga later this year. Whether you’re preparing for your first art show or want to feel more confident next time, this practical workshop will cover what’s involved in exhibiting and selling your work.

The workshop will be led by local artist Angela Maritz, whose career in New Zealand was launched 18 years ago through art shows. She has now taken part in over 45 local and international shows, so is well placed to provide practical guidance to help artists feel confident when presenting their work.

This workshop is suitable for emerging and mid-career artists working in any medium who are ready to take the next step and share their work with buyers in an art show setting.

WOW (World of WearableArt) Workshop

• When: Friday 14 November, 2.30 – 3.30pm
• Where: The Kollective, 145 17th Avenue, Tauranga, The Classroom

On behalf of Creative Bay of Plenty and the World of WearableArt, we are inviting artists, makers and toi mahi of all disciplines to a chilled kōrero and kai with Karl Chitham (WOW Toi Rakei Award co-judge) to hear some behind-the-scenes insights about this global creative platform and talk about some exciting new developments that the WOW Competition has to offer toi Māori artists in 2026.

The World of WearableArt team have worked hard to make WOW feel like a safe space for artists and creatives. Entries are open from November, and they’d love to encourage you to join this growing whānau and give it a go this year!

Community Arts Resources

Learn what makes a successful community arts project, and more.

Digital Marketing Resources

Tips on marketing platforms, hosting webinars, strategies, and more.

Other National Arts Organisations

Our comprehensive A-Z of arts organisations in Aotearoa. Contact us if we’ve missed any!