Tag Archives: books

Delighted to have two finalists in New Zealand Post Book Awards

Te Papa Press, New Zealand’s unique museum publisher, are delighted to advise that two of its books are finalists in the prestigious annual New Zealand Post Book Awards.

The finalists, announced last week, were selected from 160 entries and are described by the judges as “diverse and exciting”.

Whatu Kākahu: Māori Cloaks edited by Awhina Tamarapa and New Zealand Film: An Illustrated History, edited by Diane Pivac, Frank Stark, Lawrence McDonald and published in association with The Film Archive, are both finalists in the Illustrated Non-fiction category of the awards.

According to the finalist announcement the judges were unanimous in their selection of  the titles and Te Papa Press publisher Claire Murdoch is thrilled that both books are being recognised in this way.

“Awards like this are a welcome acknowledgement of the great care and professional pride our team takes in creating books about Aotearoa’s art, culture and natural world. An immense amount of dedicated scholarship went into the writing and editing of both books, and because they’re also heavily illustrated, the efforts of the photography and design teams were similarly substantial. I’d like to extend congratulations and hearty thanks to all who worked on these beautiful books, and to all who work closely with Te Papa Press.”

The New Zealand Post Book Awards will be announced at an evening ceremony on Wednesday 1st August. Readers are invited to vote for their favourite through the People’s Choice Award here: www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz

Visitors to Te Papa will also be able to find elements from Whatu Kākahu: Māori Cloaks featuring in the exhibition Kahu Ora Living Cloaks which opens at the museum this week. Entry to this exhibition is free. 

Brian Brake: Lens on the World nominated in the 2011 New Zealand Post Book Awards

Spirits are high at Te Papa Press as our publication Brian Brake: Lens on the World, was nominated in the illustrated non-fiction category of the 2011 New Zealand Post Book Awards. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at Wellington’s Town Hall on Wednesday 27 July 2011.

View the full list of 2011 finalist

Te Papa Press sends hearty congratulations to Athol McCredie, Curator Photography, who edited the book, and to the specialist writers whose contributions offer such depth.

This long-overdue critical examination and evaluation of the work of Brian Brake,New Zealand’s best-known photographer, was published in conjunction with a major retrospective exhibition celebrating Brake’s work. It brings together over 300 stunning photographic reproductions and six all-new essays.

The New Zealand Post judges are not the only ones looking twice at Brian Brake: Lens on the World:

This is a remarkable book, beautifully produced and meticulously researched to give a careful and fair portrait of the one landmark international photographer this country produced in the 20th century, Brian Brake. Te Papa’s photography curator Athol McCredie is to be congratulated on his careful editorial work and a very good choice of contributors.

…worthy of a craftsman photographer who cared and followed through the nuts-and-bolts side of getting his work to fully express his meaning. —  Max Oettli, New Zealand Books Autumn 2011

This lavishly illustrated book, accompanying a major retrospective of Brake’s work at Te Papa, is hard to put down —  Artnews New Zealand December 2010

a clear-eyed and magisterial tome — HOME New Zealand January 2011

Editor’s choice. This beautiful book takes the reader around the world and home again, taking in landscapes, people and objects through the discerning of Brake and critical essays by artists, photographers and curators. —  Air New Zealand Kia Ora magazine December 2010

This is a luscious-looking tome–great design and fantastic reproductions. — Andy Palmer, The Lumière Reader 30 November 2010

With its knowledgeable essays by specialist writers, Brian Brake: Lens on the World is a fine record of a fine photographer’s achievements. —  Architecture New Zealandeditor John Walsh, Prodesign No. 109 November 2010

Very grunty critical analysis written in a very accessible way. It does give a wonderful pathway into the work. Terrific. — Paul Diamond, Interviewed on Radio New Zealand’s Nine to Noon, 9 November 2010

The New Zealand Post book awards were formerly called the Montana New Zealand book awards and Te Papa Press books have won three of the last four Montana Medal for Non-Fiction awards – the most prestigious award for non-fiction in NZ. Those lucky winners were:

2006:Pohutukawa and Rata: New Zealand’s Ironhearted Trees by Philip Simpson
2007:Eagle’s Complete Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand by Audrey Eagle
2009:Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life by Jill Trevelyan

Other Montana-shortlisted Te Papa Press titles have included the following:
2003:Pacific Art Niu Sila by Sean Mallon and Fuli Pereira
2005:Icons Nga Taonga: From the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
2005:Toss Woollaston: A Life in Letters by Jill Trevelyan
2006:Extinct Birds of New Zealand by Alan Tennyson and Paul Martinson
2006:An Illustrated Guide to New Zealand Hebes by Alison Kellow and Michael Bayly
2010: Art at Te Papa by William McAloon

Best of luck Athol!

Report from our latest book launch

Antonia Prebble launched our newest Te Papa Press book New Zealand Fashion Design by Angela Lassig on Thursday night at the Grand Tearoom at the Heritage in Auckland.  That amazing piece of Queen City retro looked all the more beautiful decked out in the A1 poster blowups from the book and so did all the dollies (thanks again, Purfex), dressed museum-style in archival garments loaned by the designers. (Thanks to all 25 of you.) 

Early guests admire the garments on display

Garments on display at The Grand Tearoom, in the Heritage Hotel, Auckland

Te Papa Press Publisher Claire Murdoch with authors Peter Shand and Angela Lassig and MC Antonia Prebble

Te Papa Press Publisher Claire Murdoch with authors Peter Shand and Angela Lassig and MC Antonia Prebble

It must be said that the real people looked pretty fine too! As a big book geek I was delighted by the great turnout of industry supporters and designers. Murray Crane, Liz and Neville Findlay from Zambesi, Benny from WORLD, Doris de Pont, Tanya Carlson, Kate Sylvester, Adrian Hailwood, Cybele Wiren, Kylie from Stitch Ministry, Beth Ellery, James Dobson, Liz Mitchell –- we only got to talk to some of you and a few more sadly couldn’t make it, but we salute you all, all over again, for your inspiring creative and entrepreneurial work.

Angela Lassig, Liz Findlay (Zambesi – featured designer in ‘New Zealand Fashion Design’) and Colin Mathura-Jefree

Angela Lassig, Liz Findlay (Zambesi – featured designer in ‘New Zealand Fashion Design’) and Colin Mathura-Jefree

Kate Sylvester (featured designer in New Zealand Fashion Design’), author Angela Lassig and Wayne Conway

Kate Sylvester (featured designer in New Zealand Fashion Design’), author Angela Lassig and Wayne Conway

Now the impossible has been achieved (book made, outfits chosen, Auckland and Wellington united in creativity and celebration, all that crème de cassis and bubbles…gone) and now that our 5kg baby is out in the world, it’s even better to see all the online discussion about the book and its contents – keep it coming, critics and watchers!

Book review by Isaac Likes
Quick note on Front Row Diary
Preparing for the event, Pilot Magazine
Preparing for the event, by fashion loaf
Fashion Heritage, on thread.co.nz
Angela Lassig interviewed in TV One’s Good Morning
A celebration of fashion in New Zealand, on The A List

Staff at the Unity Books stand, selling ‘New Zealand Fashion Design’ to eager readers

Staff at the Unity Books stand, selling ‘New Zealand Fashion Design’ to eager readers

Adrian Hailwood (featured designer in ‘New Zealand Fashion Design’), Bronwyn Illingworth and Josh Kronfeld

Adrian Hailwood (featured designer in ‘New Zealand Fashion Design’), Bronwyn Illingworth and Josh Kronfeld

See more great photos of the event on Te Papa’s Flickr site

It’s awfully true that we couldn’t fit in all the great designers we wanted to — and some essential names are getting named — but we at Te Papa Press believe in compost, so the feedback’s great for the next time.

Claire Murdoch, Publisher, Te Papa Press

Buy the book from Te Papa Store
Attend Talking Fashion, a series of conversations with New Zealand fashion designers
Learn more about the book

Rita Angus biography finalist in Montana Book Awards

 

Rita Angus: An Artist's Life book cover

Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life by Jill Trevelyan and published by Te Papa Press, is a finalist in the biography  category of this year’s Montana Book Awards. The winner will be announced on Monday 27 July 2009.  Best of luck Jill!

 But wait, there’s more…

Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life is also a finalist for Nielsen BookData NZ Booksellers’ Choice Award where all booksellers are asked to nominate the three books they have enjoyed selling the most over the last twelve months. The winner will be announced at the Booksellers conference dinner on 26 July.

 And…

Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life was also highly commended in the annual Museums Australia Publishing and Design Awards in Sydney a couple of weeks ago.

Post by Sue Beaton, Te Papa Press

It’s home and it’s up!

John Reynolds, Cloud, 2006

John Reynolds, Cloud, 2006

John Reynolds’ work Cloud has come back from its stint at the Auckland Art Gallery for the 2008 Walters Prize exhibition late last year and it is now up and on show in the Contemporary Focus section of Toi Te Papa, Level 5.

John came down from Auckland to install Cloud and it went up in only 6 days – we were expecting it to be 12.  I guess practice pays off alright. This is the third time John has installed the work and, with the help of the organised and efficient installation, collection management and conservation staff, it went up in record time.

Here for your viewing pleasure is a short video edited together by Te Papa photographer Michael Hall from footage shot during the installation. It includes footage of John talking about the work and shots of the completed installation.

You may know that Cloud was commissioned for the 2006 Biennale of Sydney where it was shown in the entrance hall of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Then it became part of the national art collection at Te Papa. After that it earned John a nomination for the Walters Prize.  Cloud is also the work that represents John in the forthcoming Art at Te Papa publication.

John Reynolds and Cloud in Toi Te Papa

John Reynolds and Cloud in Toi Te Papa

If you are an art follower you are probably already quite familiar with Cloud and the time and effort that has gone into the making, cataloguing, storage and installation of the work. There have been many articles that talk about this major work, including those in Art News, Art New Zealand, and The Listener , and the Auckland Art Gallery blogged  about the installation of this and other 2008 Walters Prize works.

Cloud also features prominently in the recent publication Certain Words Drawn: John Reynolds Continued.

John Reynolds, Cloud, 2006

John Reynolds, Cloud, 2006

John also made another work using The Dictionary of New Zealand English. The work Looking west, late afternoon, low water, a companion piece to Cloud, uses all the Māori words for the Dictionary. This work is in the Victoria University of Wellington Art Collection meaning that it belongs to the same institution that also houses and runs the New Zealand Dictionary Centre which is the home of The Dictionary of New Zealand English.

Cloud is up at Te Papa until late August so there’s plenty of time to come in and do some cloud gazing.

John Reynolds, Cloud, 2006

John Reynolds, Cloud, 2006

In the meantime though if you are a keen cloud gazer you could warm up with some ‘famous clouds’ from artist Douglas Bagnall’s  Cloud Shape Classifier, where you can also choose your own favourites and train the software to find them for you. Or you could check in with the Cloud Appreciation Society to see Clouds That Look Like Things.
Happy cloud spotting!

 

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