Wellington Arts Festival KM130 Celebrates 130 Years of Katherine Mansfield
In a celebration of one of our most internationally acclaimed writers Katherine Mansfield, Wellington’s arts community is coming together to celebrate her 130th birthday with a city-wide festival of events – KM130 – running from July through to October 2018.
Developed by The New Zealand Portrait Gallery in partnership with Circa Theatre, Katherine Mansfield House & Garden, the Alexander Turnbull Library and Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, the KM130 festival includes exhibitions, performances, film screenings, talks and a birthday party.
The New Zealand Portrait Gallery in Wellington’s Shed 11 will showcase Katherine Mansfield: A Portrait honouring the enduring inspiration of Katherine Mansfield’s avant-garde creativity, innovation, lifestyle, fashion sense and ambition. Beginning with Anne Estelle Rice’s now famous 1918 portrait, the exhibition will run for the duration of the festival, tracking a century of artistic renderings and re-imaginings of one of New Zealand's greatest writers.
The gallery will also host a curator’s talk with Penelope Jackson, and talks with artist Greg O’Brien and author Redmer Yska. Workshops in portraiture as well as artist workshops for adults and children with Sarah Laing, graphic designer, illustrator and author of Mansfield and Me, will round out the gallery’s dedication to the prolific writer.
“Mansfield is a subject and author of lasting intrigue. We are delighted to present such a vibrant and fulsome festival programme which will offer fresh takes on KM for both fans and newcomers” says New Zealand Portrait Gallery Director Jaenine Parkinson
Circa Theatre features two productions, Bloomsbury Women and the Wild Colonial Girl and Modern Girls in Bed, as part of WTF! Women in Theatre Festival 2018. A series of events commences with a conversation about Katherine Mansfield, suffrage and women on 29th July with Lorae Parry and Gill Greer - author of two books about Katherine Mansfield and researcher for an award-winning documentary. The inimitable Ginette McDonald will also lead readings of Mansfield’s short stories and poems on 4th August.
“Katherine Mansfield has now gained her rightful place as one of the important figures of 20th century modernism. At Circa we are delighted and proud to be celebrating the life and works of this great Wellington born, iconic international artist” says Susan Wilson, Director and Circa Councillor.