Tripadvisor’s Affirmation of FGY Art Gallery CHCH

On 14th July 2022, Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery Christchurch was ranked third among art galleries in Christchurch by Tripadvisor, an international travel review website. On the ranking list, the first place went to the Christchurch Art Gallery (Te Puna o Waiwhetū), and the second place was the Christchurch Arts Centre, an art gallery established in 1878.

Christchurch is the art Capital of New Zealand. There are nearly 50 large and small art galleries here. FGY Christchurch and Auckland have actively incorporated art galleries in their daily operations and have successfully integrated themselves into the local communities, thus fulfilling Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s insistence of sharing the kind values through Art and Culture.

FGY Christchurch is the 13th branch of FGY Art Galleries. It was established in 2007 when Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Christchurch was inaugurated. It is a gift from the Venerable Master to the people of Christchurch. Through sharing the Art & Culture, local people will be able to experience the teachings of Humanistic Buddhism. The unique architectural features and green building concept of FGY Christchurch have attracted much attention, and the interior design exudes an air of calmness and peacefulness. In 2007, FGY Christchurch won the New Zealand Institute of Architects Supreme Award and the Green Building Civic Trust Awards. In 2021 and 2022, it was selected as one of the excellent buildings worth visiting in the Open Christchurch event. Within 2 days of the event, the Gallery had attracted thousands of people and had received high acclaim.

In January 2010, FGY Christchurch launched the Friends of FGY to allow art enthusiasts to join and become friends of the Gallery. To date, there are nearly 4,000 friends of FGY with close interactions with the Gallery. The Gallery also regularly organizes educational promotion activities such as Face to Face with Artists, Talks by Artists, and Artists’ Live Demo & Workshops. Since its inception in 2010, more than 100 artists have joined as Friends of FGY and they often interact with one another. The Gallery has successfully integrated itself into the local community. It has cultivated and produced a rich and diverse artistic arena.