Arty facts: News from the art world

A look at what's happening in the world of art this week.

Sing out

Tony Backhouse - singer, conductor, arranger and songwriter - is returning to Dunedin to run another weekend a cappella workshop.

Founder of Australian a cappella gospel choir the Café of the Gate of Salvation, Mr Backhouse has run more than 2000 vocal workshops throughout the world.

The Dunedin workshop, organised by gospel group Sunny Side Up, is open to anyone who would like to take part. The workshop will be held during the weekend of March 26-28.

For more information or to register contact Claire Stevens (027) 493-4246 or email cstevensnz@gmail.com.

Street art

More than 20 artists associated with the Dowling St art collective will display their wares in a retrospective exhibition opening tomorrow.

"The Dowling Street Project: A Retrospective" includes works by Sam Foley, Craig Freeborn, Guy Howard-Smith, Alan Ibell, Charlotte Parallel, Anna Perry, Dan Roberts, Jo Robertson, Liz Rowe and Anya Sinclair, Henry Devereaux, Philip James Frost, Douglas Rex Kelaher, Greg Lewis, Isaac Leuchs, Dusty McOnie, Brendon J.

Phillips, Hayden Prejean, Eddie Stevens, Tony Tarasiewicz, Erin Templeton, Katrina Thompson and Pete Wheeler.

"A lot of artists come out of art school and are looking for somewhere relatively cheap to start work while they establish their careers," Foley, who has worked from the space for eight years, says.

"Some, like me, have stayed on because we like it so much."

The studios are in the top two floors of Milford House, in Dowling St.

The exhibition opens at 5.30pm tomorrow and runs between 11am and 4pm daily until March 28.

Folk at Careys Bay

Auckland folk singer-songwriter Josephine Costain plays at the Carey's Bay Historic Hotel tonight at 8pm in her first South Island solo tour.

Costain will be performing songs from her EP, Live at St Mathews-in-the-city, and new tracks from her coming album.

'Conjugal' in Cromwell

The Fortune Theatre takes Roger Hall's Conjugal Rites to Cromwell this weekend.

The comedy, about a middle-aged couple who have been married for 21 years and are bored with life and each other, features Tim Bartlett and Donogh Rees.

It is on at the Cromwell College Auditorium at 7.30pm on Saturday and tickets are available from the Cromwell Information Centre.

Symphonic concert

The Otago Symphonic Band performs its first 2010 concert series at the Westpac Mayfair Theatre on Saturday.

The founding director of the band, William Henderson, will lead the band through a repertoire which reflects on the theme of settlers and pioneering.

The programme includes Tom Sawyer's Saturday narrated by Sasha Borissenko, Lord of the Dance with fiddler Rosalind Manowitz, Celtic music group Baba Yaga and the Collegiate Orchestra.

The Otago Symphonic Band performs at 7.30pm on Saturday at the Westpac Mayfair Theatre.

Queenstown Easter show

The inaugural "Royal Queenstown Easter Show" opens at Milford Gallery in Queenstown this weekend.

The show features new works by leading New Zealand artists, including Nigel Brown, Mike Petre, Neal Palmer, Michael Hight, Garry Currin, Luke Jacomb, Neal Palmer, Reuben Paterson, Elizabeth Rees, Doc Ross, Terry Stringer, Elizabeth Thomson and Tim Royall.

It will be accompanied by a series of new works, "Masterworks", by New Zealand glass artist Ann Robinson.

The Royal Queenstown Easter Show opens on Saturday and runs until April 14.

"Masterworks" by Ann Robinson opens on Sunday and runs until April 14.

Digital exhibition

Christchurch Maori artist Wayne Youle opens his new exhibition of large digital photographs in Arrowtown tomorrow.

"Soar" marks a move from Youle's previous work, which was primarily concerned with political and cultural issues.

The show will include works of a more personal and spiritual nature, including many images taken from a hot-air balloon over North Canterbury.

"Soar" opens at 7.30pm tomorrow at Nadene Milne Gallery in Arrowtown and runs until April 9.

Fringe comedy

And finally... After years of talking up other people's shows, I finally get a chance to talk about one of mine!

Head Full of Toys is one of the first plays in the 2010 Dunedin Fringe Festival this weekend and features your humble arts writer in a small cameo role.

A gothic love story with a new wave heart, Head Full of Toys is a dark boy-meets-girl comedy with live music by Flying Nun and Dunedin Sound stalwart Stephen Kilroy and Christchurch cellist Nicole Reddington.

The play was written for the Fringe by former Echo and the Bunnymen musician turned Dunedin writer and performer Ian Loughran.

Head Full of Toys is on at the Fortune Theatre Studio at 9pm tomorrow and Saturday and 5pm on Sunday.