Pānui pāho Media release: Artsenta  

Artsenta and the Creative Arts Trust are delighted to present Toi Piringa : The Art of Connection, a national symposium on creativity and wellbeing to celebrate our 40th anniversary during this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (12-18 October).

Registrations are open to the public for the one-day event to be held at Tūhura Otago Museum on 14 October in conjunction with the exhibition A River of Creativity. The symposium features presenters from across Aotearoa who work at the intersection of creativity and wellbeing.

Artsenta Director Paul McLellan-Smith says, “Toi Piringa : The Art of Connection will be an inspiring day of learning that aims to lift the awareness and understanding of creativity as an essential component of community wellbeing.

“This wānanga is for everyone, just like creativity and wellbeing is for everyone. It is also a chance for those who work in the creative wellbeing sector to share and celebrate the value of the work they do every day. Work that is often poorly funded but so powerful.”

This symposium brings together leaders of creative spaces from across New Zealand with presentations focused on best practice case studies, research showing community impact, different cultural perspectives, and the voices of tangata whaiora, people with lived experience of mental distress or addiction.

National body Arts Access Aotearoa will play a key role at the symposium, facilitating a panel discussion with four creative space leaders. They will share knowledge and experiences that have sustained their work over previous decades, and discuss ways to build a sustainable future for creative spaces across the country.

Executive Director of Arts Access Aotearoa, Richard Benge, says, “Artsenta demonstrates its strong vision and leadership through this exciting symposium. It will provide sector leaders and supporters with future-focused  knowledge, insights and connection.”

Artsenta is one of 65 creative spaces operating throughout New Zealand. It is also one of the longest running, with only Vincents Art Workshop in Wellington older by just a year. As a sector, creative spaces employ 1,500 professionals and support an estimated 40,000 people to engage in arts programmes and activities that nurture their health and wellbeing.

Details

Date: 14 October 2026, 8.30am-5.15pm

Venue: Tūhura Otago Museum, 419 Great King Street, Dunedin

Register and explore the programme

Toi Piringa : The Art of Connection will take place in conjunction with the exhibition A River of Creativity, which opens on 16 September at Tūhura Otago Museum and runs until 29 November 2026.

About Artsenta

Artsenta was a visionary initiative instigated by Superintendent Julia Aranui-Faed as the Creative Expression Unit at Cherry Farm Mental Hospital in 1986. From the beginning it was established as an independent, stand-alone entity that would continue once Cherry Farm was closed down. Since then it has operated in five different locations in Dunedin and has touched the lives of thousands of people.

Dunedin is very fortunate to have one of the most well equipped and long lived creative spaces in the country, thanks to the many talented artists, staff and trustees who have contributed to our community, as well as the ongoing support of our core funders Health NZ and the Ministry of Social Development.

For 40 years, Artsenta has been quietly proving something powerful: creativity changes lives. Working alongside people experiencing mental health and addiction challenges, Artsenta has created a welcoming studio where art is not about perfection or performance – it is about expression, connection, and belonging.

Over four decades, thousands of artworks have been created, countless conversations shared, and many lives strengthened through the simple but profound act of making. Artsenta has witnessed how creative practice can build confidence, reduce isolation, support recovery, and offer new ways for people to understand themselves and the world around them. 

For more information or interviews

Hannah Molloy
Publicist, Artsenta
021 501 977 | hannah@artsenta.org