NZ Fellowship of Artists is a membership group for people who paint and draw, and it works from the Gifford Gallery at 27a Poronui Street in Mount Eden. The Fellowship was founded in 1946 by six artists, and it has been based on Poronui Street since 1999. Its gallery and studio space has an office and kitchen, and it is well lit and spacious.
Members paint in informal, untutored groups that meet on Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 12pm, and on Wednesday evenings from 7pm to 9pm. All mediums are welcome, including oil, acrylic, pastels, watercolour, drawing materials, printmaking and mixed media. The Wednesday evening session is aimed at young artists and working professionals. Regular sessions are free for members, and membership is open to beginners as well as experienced painters. Workshops and demonstrations by well-known artists run through the year, and visitors are welcome to attend them.
The Fellowship holds regular exhibitions in the gallery. Members can show and sell their work, and the Fellowship takes 20% commission on sales. Each year it runs an art award competition for members, with an invited judge who comments on the winning work at the opening. Refreshments are served at the opening, which makes it a social event as well as an exhibition.