Arts Canterbury are committed to profiling artists and art galleries in Canterbury, New Zealand. We are an incorporated charitable organisation, governed by an elected executive committee whose membership is currently made up of artists and business from Canterbury Districts and Christchurch.

Arts Canterbury was formed in 2003 after prominent members of the Christchurch Arts Community held a forum in Pleasant Point with the idea to create an organisation to support artists in Canterbury. From this forum Arts Canterbury’s initial purpose was to produce a regional arts guide to help foster and develop the arts in Canterbury.

This first guide was released in 2007. Retailing at $34.95 it was sold through retail outlets including Whitcoulls Stationery and the Canterbury University Bookshop. “The Canterbury Art Guide” as it was known then was used as a resource by many school art departments, libraries and art aficionados.

In 2012 with many galleries closed and artists relocating after the earthquakes it was decided that it was time to change the format of the guide and produce a smaller DLE sized booklet that could be distributed for free throughout Canterbury. By this point of time Arts Canterbury had also developed a website and was running regular exhibitions for members to participate in.

Arts Canterbury continues to go from strength to strength, with a key focus on supporting their members by providing many opportunities for them. These include a variety of exhibitions throughout each calendar year, educational seminars and workshops, and regular social meetups for members to interact with each other, giving a real sense of community to the organisation.