ARTbop is a collaborative effort of a group of people who are very different but very much the same. The team effort has brought ARTbop from its start as the photocopied two, double pages I walked around Tauranga into cafes and businesses, to the emailed PDF with an increasing number of talented contributors to its current online presence. ARTbop has also had support from an encouraging readership and the local creative community.
We are now developing a new section and aspect of ARTbop; ARTbop alternative. This project is being led by young, multi-talented and formally arts educated, Tauranga local Dhaivat Mehta. Dhaivat has the advantage of his professional contributions and support to and for a number of creative activities within Tauranga. He also has support from within the wider ARTbop team.
I have a feeling that some of our current readership will not want to read our new section and may even not like some of its content. The whole point and purpose of ARTbop alternative is to provide a different and wider content and perspective of arts within the Bay of Plenty. It’s a similar responsibility to that of the Tauranga Art Gallery which consistently challenges our ideas about art and our comfortable and established responses.
We are aiming for February 2015 as the launch date for the additional ARTbop alternative section. Dhaivat has written a piece supporting his project for this October edition. I know he’s only 22 years old but remember the words of Willie Jackson “if you’re good enough …you’re old enough”
Rosemary Balu
