Get Involved

CoCA supports artists across the breadth of contemporary artmaking. While we prioritise support for artists who have a connection to Ōtautahi, our aim is to empower artists from across Aotearoa to create and share work with Waitaha communities that deepen connections to our place and our stories.

CoCA's vision is to create a thriving home for art and culture in Waitaha, igniting connections between artists and community.

Programming Group

CoCA’s volunteer and artist-led Programming Group is made up of experienced Waitaha-based artists across a wide range of disciplines. Together, they contribute to our Open Call for Proposals process, and programme exhibitions for the year ahead.

The Programming Group itself is recruited every two years via an open call to ensure equitable representation across disciplines. The Programming Group work to a framework that prioritises Waitaha artists.

We are now recruiting!

During this callout for Programming Group members, we are particularly interested to hear from artists with experience in performance, sound, and/or moving image, and from emerging artists.

To apply, please send your expression of interest (i.e. a cover letter and 1-page resume) to proposals@coca.org.nz by Friday 31 July.

More information about the callout here.

CoCA Sessions

CoCA is opening its doors to performing artists!

If you are a Waitaha-based performing artist, we invite you to put forward a proposal for a one-off or weekend session in our downstairs Ō Papa Gallery.

Whether you’re working solo, in collaboration, or as part of a community-led initiative, we invite proposals from individual artists, groups and collectives. We encourage responses from performing artists who are tauiwi, Māori or Pacific people working in all kinds of different performance mediums, including dance, music, spoken-word, and performance art.

The proposed Session can be an entirely new standalone piece, site responsive, in response to an upcoming CoCA exhibition (with the artist’s permission), or a piece you have previously performed elsewhere that will suit our gallery space.

CoCA Sessions is a pilot project supported by the Christchurch City Council’s Creative Communities Scheme.

Details

Applications open: Wednesday 1 July 2026
Applications close: Friday 31 July 2026 (midnight)

More information on CoCA Sessions and briefing document

Performance of The Wet EP -10th Anniversary, by Gemma Syme at Ō Papa Gallery. Photo by Kate Henry.

Open Call for Proposals

CoCA runs an artist-led and open call exhibition model to showcase work in our Ō Papa gallery. CoCA puts out an annual Open Call inviting individual artists, groups and art collectives from all disciplines including visual art, crafts and Ngā Toi to put forward proposals for our exhibition programme. While we prioritise support for artists who are from, or have a connection to Waitaha Canterbury, we are open to proposals from across the motu. We also welcome proposals from community organisations who support artists facing barriers to exhibiting. Our Programming Group then meets to select exhibitions, balancing artistic disciplines and supporting a range of emerging and established artists. Around six exhibitions are mounted each year, including solo and group shows as well as our ongoing partnered exhibitions.

Emerging Curators Programme

CoCA’s yearly Emerging Curators Programme supports an early-career curator either living in Ōtautahi, or who whakapapa to Waitaha, to curate a group show.

This initiative is supported by CoCA staff and our artist-led Programming Group, and enables a curator to learn new skills, and engage further with the arts community.

CoCA puts out an open call for applications each year. The 2024 and 2025 programmes were made possible with the support of the Christchurch Creative Communities Scheme.

Thanks to a generous Patron, we are able to offer this opportunity again in 2026.

Works by Isaac Te Awa, Ereni Pūtere, Fayne Robinson and Paula Rigby. 'Āhuataka: A Wānaka of Kāi Tāhu Woven Adornment', Photo Credit Owen Spargo

One Wall

One Artist
One Wall
One Work

One Wall is a pilot initiative which supports a cohort of seven emerging Waitaha Canterbury artists to showcase their work on CoCA’s annex wall. Between April and December 2026, one artist + one wall + one work enables a five weekly rotation of local artists with diverse practices to share work with our Ōtautahi community.

CoCA’s volunteer, and Waitaha-based artist-led Programming Group are responsible for selecting artists through our Open Call process. Our aim, once the pilot project is completed, is to continue to offer this programme. Opportunities are posted on our e-news and socials.

We are grateful for the support we have received through the Christchurch City Council’s Creative Communities Scheme to run the pilot project.

See who’s showing work this year.

Two Walls Mural

Every two years, CoCA commissions a local artist to design a striking new artwork that bridges the outdoor courtyard at CoCA’s entrance and an interior wall of Lux cafe. The selected artist becomes part of a continuum of artists creating temporary site specific works that welcome people to our building.

The latest mural, Breaking Reflections, Interior/Exterior is by Ōtautahi artist and designer Nick Lowry, installed in 2025.

Public Programming

Each exhibition is accompanied by a range of public programmes delivered by experts from within the local creative community. This may include hands-on workshops, panel discussions, artist talks, field trips and performances, all designed to welcome in our community, and encourage participation.

With thanks to the Christchurch City Council who contributes support towards our free programmes.

Events

Documentation

CoCA champions a wider Waitaha arts ecology. This includes commissioning emerging writers, photographers and designers who work with artists to document their exhibitions. This could then go towards producing a publication, which provides a vital record for exhibiting artists.

Support Aotearoa Artists

CoCA is a charitable Trust, and relies on support from within our community. If you connect to our mahi, and would like to champion contemporary Aotearoa artists, we would welcome your support. Please contact our Partnerships Manager, Paula Granger paula@coca.org.nz or on 021 0249 7799.

Support Us  — READ MORE

Volunteering at CoCA

We look for enthusiastic volunteers aged 18+ to assist us meet and greet visitors in our Ō Papa gallery for half day shifts, or to help with exhibition openings and events. You don’t need gallery experience or in-depth knowledge of art, instead our volunteers have a love of art, are reliable, willing to learn, and computer literate with strong communication skills. If interested, please email info@coca.org.nz with some information about yourself, and why you would like to volunteer.