Cooler than an art gallery. More fun than a theatre. A space where paintings from award-winning artists hang alongside the latest work from seven-year-old finger-painters. If you think all of this sounds awesome, then you’re going to love this new project from Whau the People.
Whau the People is a multidisciplinary arts collective based in Avondale, Auckland. They have a wide range of experiences and expertise, and now they want to use their many talents to create a somewhere they can call “home” – a neighbourhood arts space which will host everything from bonsai to karaoke.
They have been offered a generously low lease from a building on the Avondale main street, and they plan to use a social enterprise method to run the space, so any profits it generates will be channeled back into its upkeep. But first, they need to get it up and running – and that’s where you guys come in.
Whau the People have turned to PledgeMe to crowdfund their overhead costs for the first six months. And they’re offering some awesome rewards in return – everything from hilariously punny t-shirts to outdoor cushions made from recycled billboards!
We thought this campaign was so darn cool we just had to hear more – so we got in touch with Bronwyn from Whau the People to hear about what’s going on behind the scenes.
How are you finding the campaign so far?
We all got an initial rush of excitement and adrenaline when we officially launched the campaign on Monday, and I think by now the realisation we need to dig in for the long haul has just struck. It’s been really heartening, though, to see the support people have given so far – we’ve had lots of people tell us that what we’re doing is a good idea, which is always useful when you’ve just decided to do something a little bit impulsive!
What do you have planned for the rest of your campaign – anything for us to look forward to?
Next week we’re going to be launching some new rewards for people who are able to pledge a little bit more money (including one involving an iconic Avondale experience, not connected with spiders which the suburb is famous for), and we’re also trying to round up some more of our recycled billboard cushions to make them available for pledgers. We’ll also have some photos of our opening exhibition for the third week of our campaign.
Anything you want to shout out to your crowd?
Just a big THANKS to everyone who has pledged, shared a link, told their workmates etc. and that everyone is invited to our opening party on March 5 at 4pm.
To pledge to Whau the People, check out their rad campaign right here.
