The Hynds Foundation, led by the Hynds Family, seeks to support artists to develop their creative practices through a pilot residency programme, based in the Gillies MetalTech Foundry, in the Historic Precinct of Ōamaru.
The Crucible Artist Residency is named for a crucial piece of foundry equipment. The crucible is a vessel in which materials yield to intense heat before being transformed into an object. Metal making has often been described as part science, part magic…it is seldom a lone activity, requiring a team to bring the concept to fruition. This process reflects the concept of creative endeavour, where ideas and inspiration undergo a transformation, often through collaboration and intense effort, to become works of art.
Our vision is to enable opportunity through creativity. Our objectives in a pilot Artist Residency programme are to allow for –
The Crucible Artist Residency is located in the heart of the Ōamaru Historic Precinct, where traces of the area’s industrious past are everywhere, providing a unique backdrop for creative endeavours. The site around which the pilot residency programme is based has been home to the Ōamaru Mail newspaper printers, the Waitaki Dairy Company, the Northern Engineering Company, a grain store and a butchery. Since 1924, it has been the home of Gillies MetalTech foundry.
Artists are invited to work in the spacious light-filled Crucible Art Studios, a space where Pattern Makers have used traditional wood working skills to meticulously craft patterns, from which moulds would be made, ready to receive molten metal. Adjacent gallery spaces provide a variety of exhibition contexts. The opportunity to work alongside foundry technicians is another unique aspect of the programme context.
The Hynds Foundation was established to channel the philanthropic efforts of our businesses, ensuring that we give back to the communities that have supported us throughout the years. Each of our companies contributes annually to the Foundation, which is overseen by six trustees, all family members.
Our work at the Hynds Foundation is guided by five pillars. When the charity was established eight years ago by John and Léonie Hynds, the first area of focus was to support New Zealand Arts and Culture. This was followed by Health, then Education, Community Wellbeing, and most recently, Environmental Sustainability.
The Crucible Artist Residency programme idea has been germinating for some years after visiting various artistic programmes and institutions in places around the world such as Berlin, Italy, Spain, China, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and the US. Ōamaru at first seemed out of the centre of things, a place hard to get to, but we realised our travels took us to such places, and the experience was richer for it. There is a rich heritage in Ōamaru and the Waitaki District, and close by Dunedin and Central Otago. Through a pilot programme, we aim to understand the opportunity for the Crucible artists to invigorate the community and provide the artists with the opportunity to develop their creative practices and interact with the people of Ōamaru and the wider artistic community.