Inaugural Brainy Beanies exhibition launched in Kirikiriroa Hamilton

by Stuart Bathan

Brain Wave, June 2022

Leah & Quinn Munro proudly show off their beanies

The wonderful Brainy Beanies exhibition at Hamilton’s Nancy Caiger Gallery and Meteor Art Space in early May turned out to be even better than anticipated! This was a craft exhibition with a difference. Since the start of this year knitters and material artists from around the country have been busy creating innovative and original beanies for the exhibition with the message “created with love, by someone who cares.”  As a result over one thousand individual and unique beanies were beautifully created for sale to the New Zealand public.  

By the time the exhibition opened, Brain Tumour Support NZ had received 950 beanies from talented crafters scattered across the country.  The exhibition then ran at the Meteor Theatre for the rest of that week . Everyone who visited went away with either a wonderful, unique, stylish Brainy Beanie or made a donation to the charity.  

The event was really fun and showed off the exceptional talent and dedicated care crafters had put into their beanies. The premium quality and fun, innovative styles resulted in three hundred sales with one customer so impressed they bought seven beanies! 

BTSNZ trustee Sarah Gibb came up with the idea of Brainy Beanies in memory of her brother, Andrew, who died from a glioblastoma brain tumour in 2018. The response to the campaign has been beyond her wildest expectations. 

“We were hoping that we might be able to get a hundred beanies submitted,'' said Sarah. “We achieved that number early on, then we got to two hundred, and then three hundred. It was very humbling to hear of people’s connection to the brain tumour whanau and people’s eagerness to support such a small charity.”

By the numbers

L to R. Lianne Van Den Bemd, Sarah Gibb (BTSNZ trustee), Mandy Bathan (Founder of BTSNZ)

  • Number of beanies made, 1022

  • Avid knitter Sally made over fifty beanies!

  • On average each beanie needed 80 rows and 7200 stitches, equating to over 7 million stitches!

  • An estimated 3000 hours volunteer time, AMAZING!  

  • Over 300 Brainy Beanies sold 

  • Funds raised …over $8000!

All proceeds from the Brainy Beanie sales go towards helping New Zealand brain tumour patients and their families. This includes funding the Brain Boxes - care and information packages which BTSNZ sends out free to newly diagnosed patients and caregivers anywhere in the country.

People can also ‘Donate a Beanie’ where $25 will place a Brainy Beanie into a Brain Box. 

BTSNZ will also continue to sell Brain Beanies at the Tamahere Market near Cambridge. If you live locally come and see us for a chat!  

The Brainy Beanies are on sale now at the Beanie Shop on the website.