Located on a quiet back street in Broad Bay, the house — formerly owned by Anna and John Caselburg — had hosted a variety of writers and visual artists on residencies over the past nine years, Caselburg Trust member Lesley Hirst said.
However, while the Gwyn St property had provided plenty of inspiration for creative people using the space to finish books, artworks, musical pieces and other projects, visual artists had had to use the kitchen table as there was no dedicated studio space, Ms Hirst said.
But she said this would change in April when the Charles Brasch Studio was officially opened, providing visual artists-in-residence with a designated studio space. The studio was named for poet-writer Charles Brasch, who had owned the neighbouring house as his holiday crib until his death in 1973, when he gave it to Anna and John Caselburg.
The Caselburgs used the crib as their studio before buying the house next door — now Caselburg House — as their home.
While Mr Brasch’s crib was now in private ownership, his connection to the Caselburgs and the Broad Bay area made naming the studio in his honour an easy decision, Ms Hirst said.
The $78,000 project had been supported by a variety of grants and fundraising events — including a fundraising dinner in Arrowtown which was supported by New York-based Kiwi artist Max Gimblett, committee member Barbara Wilkins said.
"That [support] was a biggie for us," she said.
The project had received grants from nine funders, including the A A W Jones Charitable Trust, the Otago Peninsula Community Board, Otago Community Trust and the Lion Foundation.
Caselburg House’s first artist-in-residence to use the studio space will be jeweller Victoria McIntosh, of Lure Jewellers. The Charles Brasch Studio at Caselburg House will open on April 1.