In early March, coinciding with Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts 2024, Wellington Cathedral of St Paul will be holding a series of talks on the lives and art of four prominent New Zealand artists.

Art lovers will be invited to discover more about these artists whose works are displayed in the Cathedral. Each artist is admired nationally and has significant international acclaim.

The artists include Melvin Day, whose Stabat Mater series was gifted to the Cathedral in recent years; John Hutton, whose celebrated glass carvings of angels adorn the inner doors to the Nave; Roy Cowan’s striking ceramic Moderne Madonna mural hangs in the Amnesty Chapel; and Beverley Shore Bennett’s stained-glass windows adorn the Nave and the Lady Chapel.

Each one-hour talk is led by a practising artist in that particular field:

Monday 4 March - Jenny Shearer learnt the art and skill of pottery from Roy Cowan in Ngaio; she will present with the highly-regarded Wellington potter, Anneke Borren.

Tuesday 5 March - Claire Bell, a Whanganui glass artist, studied in John Hutton’s London studio

Wednesday 6 March - Mark Hutchins-Pond, former art curator at Pataka Art Museum, is a Melvin Day specialist

Thursday 7 March – Sylvia Cavanagh grew up watching her mother Beverley Shore Bennett create her stained glass designs.

Each speaker is joined by an art curator from prominent galleries to expand on the artist’s impact on art in New Zealand and internationally.

The one-hour floor talks are free (koha welcomed)