Artist Run Spaces – The Samoa House Library.

Kathryn Aucamp reflects on the first year of life for Samoa House Library.

Recorded live for Art Ache – 13.11.19

Podcast now playing via Spotify and iTunes

Artist Run Spaces – the indie bands of the Art world. Supernovas of ambition, freedom and idealism. Often created by a collective of Art School grads, they provide a safe space for the next wave of critical thinkers to collide, collaborate and critique.

The organisational team of Samoa House Library emerged from the Save UoA Fine Arts Library campaign in September 2018. It’s been up and running for  almost a year now, Aimée Ralfini checks in with Kathryn Aucamp – one of the volunteers involved in Samoa House Library, to see how is all going.

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With ongoing closures of specialist facilities in education – such as the Fine Arts Library, there is a proposition is that the Arts aren’t well treated.

When the Samoa House Library first opened its agenda was clear – in recognising the nature of a library, as a collection of both people and books, and as a space. Its aim was first and foremost act as an alternative Fine Arts Library, but also to function as a place of community development and communal learning through workshops, lectures, screenings and critiques.

Podcasted discussion now playing via Spotify and iTunes

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A self-motivated “youth initiative” such as Samoa House Library, is testament to collective progression towards making change and creating a new world. It’s never easy running an artist run space, in its first year Samoa House Library had achieved a myriad of initiatives including Zine Mingle as part of the Auckland Zine Fest and implemented a free, open education program Curriculum – an introductory discussion group that sought to bring together a range of local practitioners engaged with pedagogy in the arts.

Podcasted discussion now playing via Spotify and iTunes
Information on the upcoming Xmas Party on Friday 13th Dec can be found here.

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More information:

Samoa House Library is located at Level 2, Samoa House, 283 Karangahape Road, Auckland 1010. New Zealand.
Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Events

Further reading on Save the UoA Fine Arts Library.

Thank you to Liquid Studios for supporting contemporary art journalism.
Produced by Aimée Ralfini for Art AcheTM
All rights reserved.

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