Studio Izzo

Studio Izzo was lucky to travel to Wellington this week to catalogue and assess a large art collection. notonlyconservation

Over the Christmas break, we had the privilege of carrying out gilding work at the beautiful and culturally significant, Isaac Theatre Royal. It’s always special to contribute to a building with so much history and significance to the community.

Our role was to do restoration work and take steps toward fully reintegrating the gilded elements as closely as possible to their original state.

Gilding requires patience, precision, and teamwork, and so much care went into every surface. A sincere thank you to the theatre’s team for their support and collaboration throughout the project, and especially to Director Greg Ward for his leadership and trust.

To our wonderful team, led by Carolina: thank you, Giulia, Siem, Nava, and young Ida, for your skill, dedication, and consistent hard work.

We’re grateful to have played a part in maintaining the Isaac Theatre Royal and helping ensure it continues to shine for audiences in the years ahead.

The Office for Contemporary Art Aotearoa (OCAA) is inviting early-career artists, curators and writers based in Aotearoa to submit expressions of interest to attend a fully funded five-day workshop in Venice timed to coincide with the 61st Venice Biennale (25-29 May 2026).

Led by curator, writer, editor and educator, Christina Barton, and Hanahiva Rose, Curator Contemporary Art at Te Papa, the workshop is designed to enable a cohort of committed individuals to gain a sharper understanding of how the art world works in the context of one of its highest-profile occasions.

Through the support of Creative New Zealand and other partners, seven applicants will be fully funded to attend the workshop, including flights accommodation and tickets. Participants will collaborate to produce a publication reflecting on their findings, which will be published after the workshop concludes.

Applications will need to demonstrate their commitment to pursuing a career in the visual arts. Applications due by 5pm 2 February 2026.

To find out more, see here https://www.ocaa.nz/projects/learning-from-venice-a-workshop-for-early-career-artists-curators-and-writers

Holiday update from Studio Izzo ✨

As we head toward the end of the year, we wanted to let you know that Studio Izzo will be closed from 18 December 2025 and will reopen on 19 January 2026.

During this period, our team will be in Ōtautahi Christchurch to carry out decorative work inside the beautiful Isaac Theatre Royal. The photo shows our Managing Director & Head Conservator, Carolina Izzo, at work inside the ITR.

To all our clients, collaborators, and friends — we wish you a restful and joy-filled holiday break.
Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you in 2026!

Fresh from Venice and full of colour: the earth pigments we’ll be using in our Fresco Painting Workshop next year!

If you’re curious about traditional materials and want to create your own fresco from scratch, this is for you.

🎁 Bonus: it also makes an incredible Christmas present for the art-lover in your life (including yourself).

Join us at Studio Izzo in Auckland for a week-long workshop in March 2026 and learn the traditional fresco technique from Venetian artisan Malcom Maso’s expertise.

Limited spaces available – reach out to [email protected] for more info and to secure your spot!

Studio Izzo | Fresco Painting Workshop (March 2026) Marketing | Sep 18, 2025