the stone working table 

local school children from the SWIS programme. They run in the door. 

more gallery space 

gallery at InterSpace for local and emerging artists as well as children who work at the Space 

InterSpace

In February 2003, Arts Access Aotearoa held a conference on Creative Spaces, which showcased many such spaces already active in New Zealand. Four artists from Westport were at that conference and were inspired to open such a space in their own community.

Four months later a symposium was held in Westport and was supported by representatives from several other spaces as well as The Learning Connexion art school. Every household in the greater Buller received an invitation to this two day event and the attendance was exceptional for a local event.

In September, premises were leased in the form of a disused warehouse and outside yard. InterSpace was born and work began to give it a permanent home. With the help of interested artists and members of the community, repairs were made and studio spaces were created.

It was established that InterSpace would be unique in it's concepts, philosophies and management style. We created spaces, offered free materials, a nourishing, safe and social environment, to anyone interested enough to come. A large emphasis was placed on self-management. Play and experiment were encouraged with support available from the resident crew of artists.

Over the following year, local social service providers realised the benefits of the InterSpace experience for their clients, most of whom were in reaction to our formal learning system, both at school and in job training. We now have contracts with Alternative Education (Buller High School), Social Workers in Schools (CYFS, local primary schools), Employment Skills (Community Education and WINZ), The Conservation Corps.(young job seekers), Home to Home (CCS), The Activities Centre (Mental Health) and independent Social Workers. People come with these groups or off the street, having heard about InterSpace by word of mouth. All are welcome.

All attendance is voluntary and participants are free to wander amongst clay, wood, Oamaru and Fox River stone, wood and lino etching, printing facilities, paints, pencils, charcoals, pastels, pens, inks, dyes and many types of paper and canvases. People may spend as little or long on the activity of their choice, that activity being limited only by imagination. All artists working at InterSpace are interested in working socially as well as on their own projects and will always help if they can remove barriers to creativity.

Recently a public gallery has been created within InterSpace where local and emerging artists can put on their own exhibitions as well as being supported in all aspects of finishing, displaying and advertising their own work.

Saturdays see InterSpace open as well, with a community market being held in the mornings. Organic vegetables, crafts, second hand bric-a-brac, herbs and plants are all available and sold from the covered area at the entrance to the art space. This brings many people to InterSpace and market buyers are often found caught up in activities or wandering round the gallery.

InterSpace has recently organised funding, models and suitable rooms to enable life drawing sessions available to all interested artists. The response has been great and we are due to start up on the 9th April. The Buller area, possibly the West Coast has been without this option for over a year now and we consider this as a valuable feather in our cap.

Final mention must be made of the unique organisational form which is the backbone of InterSpace. Key staff have had extensive training in Open Space Technology and InterSpace is run as a Conscious Open Space Organisation. Open meetings are held every Monday morning and all decisions for InterSpace are made by consensus, by whoever is participating in that meeting. We all feel that this is the essence of our success here, that the same principles that run the space, are running the organisation.