Labour MP Darren Hughes visited the Real Art Roadshow when it called in at Parliament. The roadshow has a strong Kāpiti connection through its key personnel and it was originally launched at Mahara Gallery in Waikanae.
Mr Hughes arranged for its first visit to Parliament in 2007 and for Prime Minister Helen Clark to view the artworks. The Real Art Roadshow is two huge truckloads of real New Zealand art that wheels its way to secondary schools throughout the country. Each truck one silver, one black literally unfolds to form a 64 square metre art gallery and displays over 60 original artworks by some of New Zealand’s leading artists. Together they form a fascinating collection of post 1945 New Zealand visual art, not to mention the country’s biggest and only mobile art exhibition. “The students who get to see this art are very fortunate – as they would not normally get access to such precious pieces of art. It’s a real benefit to students who study art at school, but also to young people who have a growing appreciation of New Zealand art,” said Darren Hughes.
