Whakatāne artist Lea-Anne Sheather is among the finalists in the revived Rotorua Museum Art Awards 2026, with her work on display at the Sir Howard Morrison Centre.

The prestigious awards, open to Bay of Plenty artists, returned this year after a seven-year hiatus and attracted strong interest, with 200 entries received. Winners were announced on Wednesday night, with Rotorua artist Sarah Ziessen taking out the Supreme Award. A further seven awards were also presented.

The eight winning works, along with 75 selected finalists – including Sheather – will remain on display until March 1.

Sheather’s selected work, Laying with the Whispers, is a paper collage on canvas that reflects her intuitive and observational approach to art-making. The piece draws on layers of quick sketches, many of them created while travelling.

“Sketching enables me to be very present; to deeply notice and to reflect upon where I am and what I live with. It enhances the experience of wonder the world engenders.

“Transforming the sketches into collages allows the opportunity to amplify the experiences I have with my environment further through playful, open-ended exploration.”

Sheather said it was always an honour to have work selected for art awards and to share her practice with the wider public, particularly given the effort required to stage such events.

“There is a lot of work behind the scenes that enables the many art awards, both nationally and internationally, that are on offer,” she said. “I am truly grateful for the work, much of it voluntary, that people do to support these events.”