Aoraki Art Fund Launch
Friends Mark 50 Years with $50,000 Commitment to the Future of Art
The Friends of the Aigantighe have celebrated their 50th anniversary by making one of the most significant commitments in their history to the future of visual arts in South Canterbury.
At a special 50th anniversary celebration held at the Aigantighe Art Gallery on Saturday 15 August, the Friends launched the new Aoraki Art Fund, a permanent endowment fund established in partnership with the Aoraki Foundation. The fund has been created to provide long-term support for projects and initiatives that foster a love of visual art and strengthen connections between the community and the Aigantighe Art Gallery.
To launch the fund, the Friends have committed $50,000 of their own money and have challenged the community to match it. Every dollar donated to the fund will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Friends, up to a total of $50,000.
That means the potential to create a $100,000 lasting legacy for art in South Canterbury.
Reflecting on the milestone, the Friends explained the thinking behind the initiative:
"We could have marked the occasion by simply looking back at what the Friends have helped achieve since 1976. Instead, we decided to put something substantial towards the future."
Since their formation in 1976, the Friends have played an important role in supporting the Aigantighe Art Gallery and the wider arts community. Over the past five decades they have helped acquire artworks, support exhibitions and educational programmes, contribute to conservation projects, advocate for the gallery, and build a vibrant community of volunteers, members and supporters who share a passion for visual art.
The new fund is designed to extend that support well beyond the current generation.
Unlike a traditional fundraising appeal, the Aoraki Art Fund is an endowment fund. Donations are invested by the Aoraki Foundation, with the capital preserved and grown over time. The income generated from the fund can then be used to support initiatives that enrich the cultural life of South Canterbury. Future distributions may help fund exhibitions, conservation work, educational programmes, art acquisitions, artist opportunities and projects that encourage greater community participation in the arts.
Richard Spackman, Chief Executive of the Aoraki Foundation, says the fund provides a new and accessible way for people to make a lasting contribution to the arts in South Canterbury.
“We often get donors telling us they want to contribute to the arts, but they are unsure how best to do this. In South Canterbury there hasn’t been an easy and obvious way to make a difference. I believe the Aoraki Art Fund will change that. It is a way people can contribute knowing that their gift will be protected and grown for the long-term benefit of art in our region.”
The Friends see the fund as a natural extension of the generosity that has sustained both the organisation and the Aigantighe itself for generations.
“For 50 years, generations of Friends have helped to celebrate the love of art in South Canterbury; this fund will carry that generosity forward for our children and future generations.”
The matched giving campaign provides an opportunity for everyone in the community to be part of that legacy. A gift of $50 immediately becomes $100, while a donation of $250 becomes $500, helping the fund reach its initial goal of $100,000.
The fund has the potential to support a wide range of arts initiatives in the years ahead, from exhibitions and conservation work to acquisitions, artist opportunities, education programmes and projects that help more people connect with visual art. Most importantly, it creates a permanent source of funding that can continue supporting the arts long into the future.
As the Friends celebrate their first 50 years, the launch of the Aoraki Art Fund is not simply a reflection on the past. It is an invitation to help ensure that future generations of South Cantabrians can continue to experience, enjoy and be inspired by visual art.
“We have committed $50,000 from Friends funds to the new Aoraki Art Fund. Now we are asking our community to help us match it.”
To learn more about the Aoraki Art Fund or make a donation, visit the Aoraki Art Fund page.