Voting in the Fourth Annual Wellingtonista Awards is open from December 1-15. Then come find out the results at our Awards Night at Mighty Mighty on December 17!

To vote, visit this page.

For us, Art with a capital A isn’t just about looking at a picture in a frame and going, "Oh yes, nice use of colour there". It’s got to be something that you feel, that touches you metaphorically and perhaps literally, something you can totally immerse yourself in. These experiences were the epitome of that feeling this year…

Outdoor Knit: For bringing creativity and craft to some places that needed the love. Two of their most high-profile projects are the “It will all be OK” fence, and the fence of hearts. But their yarny gifts and events don’t stop there. They stunned everyone at the Cuba Street Carnival with a day-long knitting frenzy outside the Bristol (and cheers to the council for letting it stay up so long.) Wellington is full of their little additions. Just keep your eyes open for new projects. 

Page Blackie Gallery: 2009 was the year dealer gallery Page Blackie (Victoria Street, opposite the library) asserted itself as an art force to be reckoned with. A series of engaging shows and some wicked live gigs by the likes of Lawrence Arabia and the Wellington International Ukelele Orchestra have shown the gallery’s confident approach. The highlight for 2009 was watching Dick Frizzell and his wife playing their ukes and singing with the Orchestra for his book launch at the gallery’s annual landscape show. Recognised by _Dom Post_ reviewer Mark Amery as behaving more like a public gallery, PB has raised the bar this year, and it’ll be interesting to see if other dealer galleries in town take note! They’ve even started their own blog. 

Erogenous Tones: Chances are that you’ve read some slash fiction before, but have you ever had it read to you in a crazy Russian-ish accent? No? Luckily Erogenous Tones exist in order to fill that void in your life. In the lush environs of the Watusi, three attractive young ladies will bring stories about Uncle Jessie (aka John Stamos) taking good care of the Olsen twins; of Madonna and Britney post-MTV kiss; or perhaps something about Dr Phil’s foot fetish – or whatever they might have found on the net that day. It’s uncomfortable, hilarious, and hopefully not at all erotic, and it’s definitely something different. It’s art. 

Yayoi Kusama at City Gallery Wellington: The City Gallery needed something special to kick off their made-over spaces, and Kusama’s dots certainly delivered a punch. By taking over the façade and reaching out to the people of Wellington, the spots appealed to a wider range of people than the average exhibition, yet the exhibition as a whole provided a more subtle and provocative experience amid the mind-bending colours. 

Plastic Maori Exhibition at TheNewDowse: Filled with plastic tiki, tukutuku panels made from computer keyboards, and other mash-ups of the modern and the traditional, this exhibition took us into the future of Maori design, and featured a special appearance from NZ’s most famous plastic Maori – Manu from Playschool. The Bouncy Marae weekend was popular with kids of all ages.