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An intricate embroidered cushion by Wellington artist Jo-Anne Tapiki has won the 2016 IHC Art Awards and $5000.

Jo-Anne started working from IHC’s Arts on High studio in Lower Hutt 18 months ago and this is the first time she has entered the competition. She likes to collect brochures – particularly ones about holidays – and this has been her inspiration.

Jo-Anne draws and paints, but she prefers to do embroidery on fabric using wool. She will draw an outline on the fabric with her finger, and a tutor will follow her lead with a pen, marking the outline on the fabric. She then asks the tutor to thread the needle and then it’s all over to her to create the work.

Second prize of $2000 went to Dunedin artist Becky Donovan and third prize of $1000 was won by Karin Clayden of Wellington. For the first time the top three prizes went to an all-female line-up of artists.

Auckland-based judge and art consultant Tim Walker says, “The top awards went to three works that radiated that extra 'magic', whether that was a highly original sense of composition, a brilliant use of colour or an aspect of the way the artist had actually made the piece.”

Gina Matchitt and Grant Corbishley, the other two Wellington-based judges, said that the diversity of the work presented a real challenge. That there was an amazing range of media and approaches, and so many visual delights and surprises.

This year six-times judge WORLD fashion director Denise L’Estrange-Corbet, stepped up to the role of Art Awards Ambassador. Denise has long described the IHC Art Awards as one of the highlights of her year. “For me it’s about the artists. It’s about meeting talented individuals and seeing their extraordinary art.”

“I think every artist with an intellectual disability should be encouraged and supported (if necessary) to enter.”

There were more than 400 entries in this year’s Awards, including sculptures, installations and textile art, painting and drawing. The IHC Art Awards are open to all New Zealanders with an intellectual disability, age 13 or over, whether or not they use IHC services.

The top three prize-winners were picked out of 30 finalists nationwide and announced at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington tonight (Thursday 16 June). The finalists’ work was auctioned at the event, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the artists.

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The judges

Gina Matchitt

Gina Matchitt is a Wellington-based artist whose work draws on her Māori tribal affiliations, Te Arawa and Te Whakatōhea and is a fusion of Māori and Pakeha (European) concepts. Her work has been widely exhibited in New Zealand, Australia, The Netherlands, United States and Switzerland. Matchitt’s work is found in many major New Zealand public collections, including Te Papa Tongarewa - The National Museum of New Zealand, and Auckland Art Gallery.

Grant Corbishley

Grant Corbishley is an artist/designer and senior lecturer in Creative Technologies at the Wellington Institute of Technology. He recently completed a PHD that addressed the recent loss of community and urgent issues facing the neighbourhood where he lives - Houghton Bay, Wellington. He is also involved in many international collaborations that focus on creating resilient human and non-human ecologies.

Tim Walker

Tim Walker is an Auckland-based arts and culture consultant. After three decades in the art gallery sector (as fine arts curator at Waikato Museum, senior art curator at National Art Gallery/Te Papa and director at The Dowse) he set up his own company and now works with arts organisations, government departments, local government, iwi and tourism operators throughout New Zealand.