New Zealand Pacific Studio offers:
- Residency in a fully furnished historic house, Normandell, built in 1911-12.
- Seven living/work spaces, each is unique and has character.
- A sense of history, with the original workbench of clockmaker Christopher Burton, the steel safe for valuables, original brass door handles and door plates in Arts and Crafts design, and beautiful refinished floors of native timber - matai and rimu.
- A sense of uniqueness - Normandell is one of the first villas in the region to be built with solid reinforced concrete external and internal walls - part of one internal wall is exposed to reveal construction.
- Library (about 2,000 titles) of art books, world literature, and many books on New Zealand.
- Art collection built up from artists in residence.
- A fully functional Kitchen for the self-catering of residents.
- A shared Dining/sitting room.
- A sauna is available for use.
- A small vegetable garden.
- A communal fireplace in Dining Room; fireplaces in Burton Room, Saiko Room, and in the Cottage; Chopped firewood and kindling supplied. Also central heat pump and heaters.
- Full linen, including bedding, blankets, bathroom towels, kitchen tea towels.
- Weekly cleaning of communal house areas.
- Laundry facilities.
- Support from the live-in House Manager – this person is also an artist in residence.
- Local transport for a small weekly fee, which includes: Pick-up and drop-off for arrival and departure, from either in Masterton (20 min away) or in Palmerston North (60 min away), and a weekly shopping trip - Please provide advance notice if you don't have your own car. If more extensive transportation is needed as part of a project, this will need to be negotiated with the House Manager.
- Complimentary telephone calls to landline phone numbers anywhere in New Zealand.
- Complimentary access to wireless internet for moderate usage - capacity of the service is limited.
- Access to standard black and white inkjet printer. If you need to do a large volume of printing, you are advised to bring your own printer and paper or to contact us to discuss options.
- Hill walks, stream walks, an historic bridge, a nature reserve, an artisan cheesemaker, model railway, and bush - all within walking distance.
- Complimentary pass to Pukaha, a nearby national wildlife centre and bird sanctuary, with beautiful walks, and with kiwi and other native birds, also the ancient tuatara, and eels. Open daily.
- We cannot host children/infants at the centre. This is for health and safety reasons and also the comfort and consideration of other residents. (In some circumstances this policy may be wavered if there is significant proof of the child's maturity and direct involvement in the artists creative process).