About Us

Established in 1964, the Ashburton Society of Arts (ASA) is a long serving and supportive community for local artists. Located at the Short Street Studio, the society promotes the study, practice and cultivation of the visual arts, inspire creativity and encourage production of works of art.

ASHBURTON SOCIETY OF ARTS INCORPORATED
Incorporation Number: 220373
NZBN: 9429042583851
Financial year 1 September – 31 August

Ashburton Society of Arts Incorporated Constitution

Our AGM is usually held in November and features a guest speaker.

Separate Entity

There seems to be some misunderstanding in the community that the Ashburton Society of Arts (Inc) and the Ashburton Art Gallery are one and the same. Not so.

The Ashburton Society of Arts (Inc) has its own members and premises and is run independently from the Art Gallery although both work together to foster the arts.

Membership

As a member of our society we welcome you to attend our weekend schools, weekly art groups, art trips and untutored painting weekends at various locations. Our famous annual exhibition is hosted every year in June/July, and artists from kindred societies are also welcomed to join. 

Receive newsletters keeping you in touch of all our varied and inspiring activities and events including bus trips and outings, art inspired workshops, meetings, art news, members’ exhibitions, independent exhibitions, along with those activities mentioned below.

Annual Exhibition

Our Annual Exhibition featuring Art, Applied Art & Craft, Sculpture and Photography is usually held during July.

It attracts several hundred entries from all over New Zealand and with almost $10,000 in awards and all art for sale, it is an exciting opportunity to exhibit, view and buy quality artworks.

Short St Studio

Our Short Street Studio premises is available for hire for independent exhibitions. The Ashburton Society of Arts is very proud to own its own building at 53 Short Street, Ashburton. This gives us a place to call our own and a venue for all our workshops, meetings and events throughout the year.

We have 2 rooms available to enjoy our art in (or hire out).

Selling Gallery

The Society holds members exhibitions at Short Street Studio. The summer, autumn, winter and spring shows for members to apply to enter.

Art Groups

Our studio hosts various art groups, meeting weekly or monthly.

Workshops

During the months of February to May and July to November the Society arranges various tutors to impart their knowledge to artists. Join our art workshops tutored by a selection of talented guest artists. 

Social Meetings and Trips

Social meetings are held  for the purpose of members getting together to exchange ideas, news, share an art video, watch painting demonstrations and listen to speakers.

We also occasionally organize trips to visit exhibitions and galleries.

Keep a look out for information about trips and social meetings in our newsletters or on our Facebook page.