Matt Forsman at the entrance to his Marion St hair salon with art by Ruth Thomas Edmond.
Mark Amery takes a walk of small independent businesses in Wellington championing local artists. Before galleries, there were coffee shops. Harry Seresin’s Coffee Gallery, which opened on Lambton Quay in 1957, was a place where artists could exhibit and community gathered. Many werre to follow, Today there are over 30 galleries in Wellington’s CBD, yet many good artists also find space outside them. It’s easy to be snobbish about art in cafes not meeting a gallery’s curatorial standards, but things culturally are far more blurred between art, fashion and hospitality. In the Seresin tradition, Wellington’s cultural reputation is largely built on the flair of independent businesses breaking conservative norms supporting artists. For the best illustration, see the ever-gentrifying hipster blocks around the crossings of Cuba, Vivian and Ghuznee Streets.