Tiny Hut makes art accessible

A mini art gallery full of creative wares made by New Brighton locals is proving a hit.

The wall-to-wall shelves of the Art-omat are stocked with unique artworks made by children, creative amateurs, and trained artists, and they're being snapped up by visitors.

Volunteer custodian Samantha Fay inside the New Brighton Art-omat.

The Art-omat is one of five Tiny Huts installed by the Christchurch City Council in a bid to liven up New Brighton’s public spaces over the summer.

Three months after it first opened, the hut, designed by architect Sasha Samardziska to make art accessible and help local artists sell their work, has been a success, says Custodian Samantha Fay.

About 30 artworks have already been sold, with some items purchased within days of going on display. She is hopeful the Art-omat will become a permanent feature somewhere in New Brighton.

"I'd love to keep it going. I think there are lots of communities where it could work, wherever there's a strong community spirit. It's something that's really cool and different."

Samantha, a mum to four children aged between two and 11 and a former teacher, regularly visits the Art-omat to collect orders for the artworks and to restock the shelves. As part of her voluntary role, she has sourced each piece for the Art-omat, through contacts in the local community, school newsletters, and with help from the nearby New Brighton Art Gallery.

A South Brighton resident herself, she says most of the artworks for sale are made by locals, with the exception of one contributor who lives in Lyttelton but has strong links to New Brighton.

"There are probably 15 or 16 different artists who sell their work through the Art-omat. There's a couple of professional artists, a few kids, and some people who obviously enjoy making art but it's not their main career."

She is a craft artist and sells some of her fabric art through the Art-omat.

Contributing artists decide what price to put on their work and Samantha says she never turns away anyone who wants to be involved as long as their work is appropriate for a public forum. 

"It means that people don't feel rejected, or that their work isn't good enough. The Art-omat is inclusive and it's for everyone."

The Art-omat sits in New Brighton Mall.

One of her stars is 10-year-old Hugo Fischer, whose graphic type pieces have been very popular. There's also jewellery, sculpture, photographs, origami, knitted animals, a painted skateboard deck and brooches made from felt. Most of the price tags are under $50 and there is no commission, so all of the profit goes to the artist.

"The Art-omat is a really good platform, because art galleries can be quite intimidating for people so they don't go in and access the art. This just makes it incredibly easy for everyone to have a look at it," Samantha says. "I've been really happy with the artists' response, and the public's response."

Carolyn Ingles, Christchurch City Council Head of Urban Design, Regeneration and Heritage, says the future of all five Tiny Huts will be decided by the New Brighton Community. Options will be provided to the community at the end of February.