Danae Ripley, with her award-winning artwork ‘Nice Folk and Pleasantries’.
It was a proud day for our School of Creative Industries when Master of Creative Practice student, Danae Ripley, won the Craig’s Investment Partners Youth Award in the recent Molly Morpeth Canaday Award — Painting and Drawing.
Danae completed a Certificate of Design and Visual Arts and a Bachelor of Creative Enterprise before embarking on her Master in Creative Practice this year. During her time here she’s been supported by Creative Industries lecturers Richard Fahey, Emma Smith, Gina Ferguson and Leon Tan.
Her work was initially influenced by contemporary German painter Neo Rauch, but she also acknowledges the unique teaching practice at Unitec where she says there is “a huge focus on making, where no style is obsolete and instead new suggestions are put forward by staff who are well versed in the contemporary terrain.”
Her piece, entitled Nice Folk and Pleasantries, was praised by international guest judge Dr Christopher McAuliffe for depicting the fear and angst of being in a room full of people, with the subjects “performing their way of out of their anxiety”. He points out the body language as being “mute, defensive and desperate efforts to avoid anyone’s gaze” and bemoans the fact that “in the age of digital sociability, the life has gone out of real parties.”
Richard Fahey, Senior Lecturer in Creative Industries, said it’s nice to see external recognition for Contemporary Art students of Creative industries. “Danae Ripley is at the beginning of her Post Graduate studies and continued success is expected of her in the future” he said.
Danae won $2,500 in prize money which she said she’ll put towards paint, wood, canvas and “…perhaps some new shoes”.
The Molly Morpeth Canaday Award – Painting and Drawing has been running for nearly 30 years and is dedicated to excellence across contemporary and traditional painting genres. It is staged by Whakatāne District Council and Arts Whakatāne.
Danae was also a finalist in the recent New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Award 2019.
It’s wonderful to hear of Danae’s success – congratulations to her and the staff in Creative Industries.
Congratulations Danae! Congratulations too to the team in Creative Industries who are fabulous teachers and practitioners.
Congratulations Danae. What a wonderful recognition for your hard work and talent.
Wow! Huge congratulations Danae,aka ex Unitec Student Council rep all those years passed. Awesome to see your commitment and hard work finally paid off.