The Battle is on

The Battle is on for NZ Small Businesses

NZ Art Guild Battles It Out For Top Spot

The finalists in The David Awards 2009: heroes in small business have been named.

The NZ Art Guild is proud to be one of 3 finalists named in the Most Community Minded Business Category. This is a business which gives back to its community, e.g. local, regional or industry sector, in ways, shapes or forms which benefit the community significantly.

The David Awards recognise the unsung heroes in home and small businesses throughout New Zealand, whose tenacity, courage and ingenuity place them firmly at the forefront of entrepreneurship in this country.

Just as David, an ordinary, unassuming young man, used shrewdness and a simple slingshot to conquer the giant Goliath, so these entrepreneurial David’s often punch well above their weight.

The NZ Art Guild provides promotion, support, opportunities and resources to NZ visual artists and is also actively involved in the wider community by raising money and awareness for charities. In the past year they have helped raise nearly $85,000 for charity including $22,000 for the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation of NZ and $9,000 for the Mental Health Foundation of NZ.

Guild Manager, Sophia Elise says “We are very excited and humbled to be selected as a finalist in the David Awards. We couldn’t think of a better category for us to be – we love to give not only to the creative community but also to the wider New Zealand community and charities.”

The David Awards seek to honour these heroes in small business. The organizer of the Awards, Heather Douglas, says, “The judges felt there was a strong and varied field of entrants this year. These finalists are inspiring, courageous business people with a passion for what they do and the determination to make it work. Some have overcome considerable adversity in order to reach the success they now enjoy.”

Category winners and a Supreme Award will be announced during a live webcast on The David Awards web site from 10.30 a.m. on the 7th of October. A podcast of the event will be available for download for an extended period after the actual ceremony.

For more information go to www.nzartguild.co.nz or www.thedavidawards.co.nz

Chuck Close

If you're overwhelmed by the whole, break it down into pieces - Chuck Close

Inspiration of the Day:
If you're an artist in the 21st century, chances are you've heard of master-colorist and brush-wielder extraordinaire, Chuck Close. Considered one of the most influential artists of our time, he is quite frankly, unstoppable. Recognizing his thirst to paint at a very young age, he has not allowed anything to stand in his way, maneuvering every challenge into an opportunity. At age 48, after an award ceremony, Close rushed to the hospital because of persistent chest pains. Within a few hours, Close was paralyzed from the neck down as a result of a blood clot in his spinal column. But in a few months, he was back, brush strapped to a hand split, painting on a giant grid, in a new style better adapted to his more restricted brush movement. His style of photorealism built by thousands of little squares in a grid has moved art enthusiasts and critics everywhere

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