The Big Idea - Te Aria Nui is celebrating its eighth birthday today.

“It’s hard to believe that eight years ago we cut the ribbon on our virtual door and opened The Big Idea up for business,” says Elisabeth Vaneveld, Executive Director of The Big Idea.

Poet Jenny Bornholdt will be the 2010 Writer in Residence at Victoria University. Earlier this year Bornholdt won the Montana New Zealand Book Award for Poetry for her latest collection The Rocky Shore.

Leading TheNewDowse's New Zealand International Arts Festival line-up is The Messenger, a captivating video work by acclaimed American artist, Bill Viola.

Obscure Gallery in Motueka is proud to present a national small works show Off the wall, opening on Friday 11 December. Artists from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin will be exhibiting alongside local contemporary artists.

The Papakura Art Gallery is inviting artists and visitors alike to make their mark on the gallery walls to celebrate the closure of the gallery for major renovations.

To celebrate another year of creativity in Aotearoa the 200 x 200 x 200 Xmas Show returns for the fourth year running at KINA Gallery in New Plymouth.

Designer Jamie McLellan says “over the years I have learned to live with and celebrate my inner engineer. More and more I am finding the beauty of an object lies in its engineering, how it's put together."

New Zealander Lisa Walker is the 2010 recipient of the Françoise van den Bosch Award.  The award is presented every two years to an international jewellery artist whose work is of outstanding quality.

'The Office Xmas Party' is an end of year farce which documents an office Christmas party as it snowballs madly out of control.

The nominations have been announced for the 2009 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards.

TLC and TWOA carving student, Todd Sheridan is to stage an exhibition in Waitara Arts Space. His works take a look at the relationship of tangata whenua and land, using a range of media; including totara, uku, glass, bronze and acrylics.

For the first time ever The Gravy has premiered online, one week before it screens on TVNZ 7.  The arts show launches with host Warren Maxwell’s journey to Taranaki to explore the spiritual nature of the mountain by visiting a group of artists who are inspired by its presence.