Into the Incubator
This creative hub has built a colourful reputation over nine amazing years
Words Sue Hoffart Photos supplied
Pilots love the rainbow-hued roadway that loudly, proudly adorns the entrance to The Incubator’s headquarters inside Tauranga’s Historic Village.
From the air, the artwork has become a well-known and cheery navigation beacon for passing planes. On the ground, it is yet another practical example of the “edgy, alternative, multi-genre art space” that Incubator director Simone Anderson envisaged a decade ago.
When the Tauranga artist set out to establish a creative hub for budding fellow practitioners, she and her
small team inhabited a converted barn divided into six studios. These days, the barn – dubbed the mother ship – is headquarters to an arts organisation that boasts 24 resident artists who now inhabit 15 buildings within The Village. Countless initiatives, events and artists have flourished along the way.
Every year, thousands of people visit to celebrate eccentricity at the Fringe Festival or attend Incubator-led workshops, to hear live music or buy the ceramics and clothing, jewellery and other items created by artists working on site.
“We’re expanding and growing beyond our wildest expectations and we’re changing the perception of
what our city is,” Simone says. “Tauranga has had a reputation as a cultural wasteland. We knew that wasn’t the case but now all these alternative, quirky high-functioning artists are really visible, in one place,
in The Village.
“And we have this whole ecosystem of working artists who now have community support, sharing resources and marketing and retail space.”
The Incubator is living up to its name in a multitude of ways. As well as incubating talent and ideas, it is inspiring visitors to appreciate new or different art forms.
“We want people to say yay, I went to that exhibition or event and I didn’t even don’t know I was interested till I saw it. Far out, that was cool.
“And we want everyone to realise art is a real, professional trade, like an electrician or a plumber.”
The organisation is also propagating creativity beyond The Village gates.
Tauranga Art Gallery has featured work by many artists who found their feet through the Incubator, while the city centre and local area are more vibrant thanks to murals by Incubator graduate Sam Allen. The young painter found confidence and connections in The Village.
City women are wearing clothing by fashion designer Kerry Funnell, who launched her Nape label and boutique after sharing a satellite studio in The Village.
“Kerry’s work is stunning, and people can walk in and see her with her sewing machine and bolts of fabric, on the main street here.
“The Village has always been an open, inclusive asset for the city and that’s exactly what we aim to be. Everything we do is really grassroots, accessible, the cost barrier is low. It’s not elite or pretentious.”
The art deco Village Cinema has recently joined The Incubator stable, with its Hollywood-themed designs and "for the people, by the people" mantra. The cinema aims to cater to everyone from independent filmmakers to people living with dementia or a disability while embracing guests who are neurodiverse, new immigrants, on a low income, or from the LGBTQIA+ community. Audiences can expect to find vintage, arthouse or Pasifika film events as well as children’s holiday or private screenings and Bollywood film nights.
At the eastern end of The Village, a creative community campus is the newest addition. This development, in a repurposed Montessori school, encompasses a textile and sewing hub, a ceramic and pottery hub, large outdoor teaching spaces and a roomy classroom ideal for workshops and seminars.
“It’s one of our most exciting projects. It’s second in size to the city’s art gallery and it’s a game-changer for the city in terms of arts infrastructure.”