About the prize

The Fair Trust Art Prize is a newly-established national art prize of $40,000 with the following aims:

• To support a flourishing contemporary arts scene in the wider Manawatū region by bringing artists at the top of their field or peer group from around Aotearoa New Zealand to Manawatū.
• To enable the production of high-quality art and associated programmes for the people of Manawatū to be inspired by, learn from, and enjoy.
• To invest in the long-term growth and development of artists and encourage innovation by providing an opportunity for the selected artist to push their practice and engage deeply in an aspect of their work they want to explore further.

The Prize is open to mid-career artists of any genre, media or practice, and focuses on how socially relevant concepts, information, and ideas are visually articulated. The recipient of the Prize will work towards a solo exhibition and associated public programmes at Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science and Heritage. This will culminate in a work from the exhibition entering the permanent art collection of Te Manawa.

Eileen’s story

Dr Eileen Fair was a scientist, traveller, dancer, actor, businesswoman, and self-taught property developer whose projects can be seen all over Palmerston North.

A devotee of the arts, Eileen built a formidable collection of works, including paintings by Rita Cook, Olivia Spencer Bower, Karl Maughan, Sydney Lough Thompson, and James Boswell, as well as Colin McCahon and Anne Hamblett (who were Eileen’s second cousins).

Eileen passed away in January 2024, leaving a direction in her Will for her executors to establish the “Fair Trust Art Prize”. The Eileen Fair Charitable Trust have partnered with Te Manawa to offer this.

For more information about the Fair Trust Art Prize, contact us.