Tag Archives: Te Papa Press

Delighted to have two finalists in New Zealand Post Book Awards

13 June 2012 – 2.41pm

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. 

By Roxan Mathys | Posted in Museums, News, Te Papa Press | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

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

7 June 2011 – 12.00pm

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!

By Roxan Mathys | Posted in Art, Photography, Te Papa Press | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Report from our latest book launch

15 April 2010 – 5.42pm

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

By Te Papa | Posted in Events, Fashion, Te Papa Press | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

New arrival

24 March 2009 – 7.53am
te-papa-store-2

Art at Te Papa in stock at Te Papa Store

Last week we took delivery of Art at Te Papa, the big book on the art collection. We are absolutely thrilled with it.

The book’s official launch isn’t until next week, but Te Papa store already has an impressive display in its window.

Some numbers: The book features 419 works in the collection by 300 artists. There are 343 individual essays by 38 writers. About half the essays were written by Te Papa curators and staff, while the rest were commissioned from colleagues outside the museum. It’s been the result of about three year’s work. The flexi-bind edition weighs in at a hefty 2.6 kilos (5lbs, 11 oz).

To celebrate the launch, on Thursday next week we’ll be having a special tour of Toi Te Papa with some of the contributors to the book, starting at 6pm. It’ll be a bit like a speed dating version of meet the author, as everyone will have about five minutes to talk about a work in the exhibition that they wrote about. It should be fun.

By williammcaloon | Posted in Art | Also tagged | Comments (0)

The big art book

27 January 2009 – 3.40pm
tpa5480-art-cover_flexibind_aw

Art at Te Papa - coming soon.

Hi there, I’m William McAloon, Curator of Historical New Zealand Art here at Te Papa. Over the last couple of years I’ve been working on a big book on Te Papa’s art collection. Art at Te Papa features over 400 works, from the 15th century to the present day. The cover star is Michael Illingworth’s painting Untitled, 1971.

The book is due out in April. Te Papa’s art curators all contributed entries on individual works, as have a range of other writers, and I’ve written about the history of the national art collection. Art at Te Papa clocks in at well over 400 pages and every work is reproduced in glorious colour.

Claire Murdoch, publisher at Te Papa Press, has just come back from China where she has been overseeing the printing of the book. She bought back a set of pages, hot off the press.  They haven’t been trimmed or stitched or bound or anything – we’re doing two editions, a softcover and a special limited-edition case-bound hardcover – so it’s not a book just yet, but it still looks amazing.

The limited edition ... gorgeous

The limited edition … gorgeous.

The enormous effort that went in to every aspect of the production  – the photography, the design, checking proofs, matching colours, and much, much more – all looks like it’s paid off handsomely.

I’ll be posting about the book over the coming months, about what’s in it and what it was like bringing it all together.  There’ll be lots more information about it on the Te Papa website and in the media too, so keep an eye out.

By williammcaloon | Posted in Art, Te Papa Press | Also tagged , , | Comments (2)
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