Kay George (born 1954,

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...

, New Zealand) is a senior New Zealand and

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

artist based in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. George is a major player in the development of the visual arts in the Cook Islands. George and her husband Ian George, also a notable artist himself, migrated to Rarotonga, Cook Islands from New Zealand so her husband can explore his family's heritage in the Cook Islands. George and her husband ran an art gallery named The Art Studio for many years, (now Beluga Cafe), in

Arorangi Arorangi is one of the five districts that make up the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. It is located in the west of the island, to the northwest of the district of Titikaveka, and southwest of the district of Avarua Avarua (meaning ...

. The Art Studio was recognised as one of the leading galleries in the Pacific. In 1998, Ian George curated ''Paringa Ou'', the first major exhibition of contemporary art by Cook Island artists residing in New Zealand featuring artists such as

Ani O'Neill Ani O'Neill (born 1971) is a New Zealand artist of Cook Islands, Cook Island (Ngāti Makea, Ngāti Te Tika) and Irish descent. She has been described by art historian Karen Stevenson as one of the core members of a group of artists of Pasifika ...

Sylvia Marsters Sylvia Lolita Cathrine Marsters (née Tyler; born 1962) is a New Zealand artist of Cook Islands descent. In 2003, she received a residency in the Cook Islands from Creative New Zealand, and she has exhibited in Rarotonga many times since, as wel ...

Mahiriki Tangaroa Mahiriki Tangaroa (born 1973, Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand-born Cook Islands photographer and painter. She is a former director of the Cook Islands National Museum. She is recognised as a leading contemporary Cook Islands artist, and h ...

Michel Tuffery Michael "Michel" Cliff Tuffery (born 27 May 1966) is a New Zealand artist of Samoan, Tahitian and Cook Islands descent. He is one of New Zealand's most well known artists and his work is held in many art collections in New Zealand and around ...

, Jim Vivieaere, Ian George, and Kay George, the exhibition travelled to the

Fiji Museum The Fiji Museum is a museum in Suva, Fiji, located in the capital city's botanical gardens, Thurston Gardens. Background The museum is a statutory body and is under the administration of the Fiji Museum Act and the Preservation of Objects of A ...

, the

Cook Islands National Museum The Cook Islands National Museum is a museum in Avarua on Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands. Its collection includes contemporary and historic artefacts, as well as replicas of objects in foreign institutions. Background A purpose-built museum bu ...

, as well as the

Gus Fisher Gallery Gus Fisher Gallery is a contemporary art gallery owned and operated by the University of Auckland in Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is loca ...

in Auckland. The exhibition was partly sponsored by the New Zealand High Commission in Rarotonga. In 2008, She graduated Masters of Art and Design from

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology ( AUT; ) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT is New Zealand's third largest university i ...

with Cook Islands scholarship. In 2010, George was part of the exhibition ''MANUIA'' with

, Jerome Sheddon, and Michael Tavioni, in American Indian Community House in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. The exhibition was curated by Ben Bergman and was opened by former New Zealand Prime Minister, and former UNDP Programme Administrator

Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008 and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...

. In 2018, celebrating 30 years since George's arrival to the Cook Islands,

Bergman Gallery Bergman Gallery is an international commercial art gallery with an original gallery in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, and a second gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. Bergman Gallery represents and has represented many significant international artist ...

hosted her retrospective exhibition and 200 people attended the opening. Her work are exhibited internationally in Cook Islands, Australia,

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, United States of America,

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

and

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

. Her stepdaughter

Mīria George Mīria George (born 1980) is a New Zealand writer, producer and director of Māori and Cook Island descent. Best known for being the author of award-winning stage plays, George has also written radio, television and poetry, and was one of the fil ...

, is a New Zealand writer, producer and director.

Selected solo and collaborative exhibitions

* 2024: ''Beyond the Veil of Paradise'', Bergman Gallery, Auckland * 2018: ''Years of Colour'', Bergman Gallery, Rarotonga, Cook Islands * 1997: ''Ian and Kay George'', Morgan Street Gallery,

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand * 1997: ''2 Women Show'' (with Andrea Eimkee), Darwin, Australia

Selected group exhibitions

* 2020: ''Tatou 2, The Story of Us'',

, Rarotonga, Cook Islands * 2013: ''Oe Vaka'', The Art Studio, Rarotonga, Cook Islands * 2010: ''MANUIA'', BCA Gallery (now Bergman Gallery), Indian Nation Community House, New York City,

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

* 1998: ''Paringa Ou,'' Fisher Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand * 1998: ''Paringa Ou'',

* 1998: ''Paringa Ou'',

, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Kay Cook Island artists New Zealand artists People from Rotorua Auckland University of Technology alumni 1954 births Living people