As a curator at Te Papa, I am also on the committee of the Costume & Textile Association of NZ – a membership organisation that includes museum and fashion professionals, craftspeople, writers, and others who share a stronger than average interest in all aspects of clothing and dress! With myRead more
This weekend the City Gallery, Wellington opens Crown Lynn: Crockery of Distinction, a celebration of New Zealand’s most iconic home ware producers. Drawing on public and private collections, the exhibition ‘considers the company’s vital role in a history of home-grown creativity, international influence and innovative design, and the nature ofRead more
Right now, on New Zealand’s southernmost island group, a team of 11 researchers and their support crew are wandering around the cold, windswept Campbell Island, studying the island’s rich ecology and history, and its recovery from decades of grazing and the world’s largest island rat eradication. And you can followRead more
The blessing for the painting of Poedua (Poetua), a princess from the Society Islands, by John Webber (1751-1793) was a much needed bright spot at Te Papa last week – a week when New Zealand reeled from news of the Pike River mining disaster. This remarkable painting, recently purchased by Te Papa,Read more
An exhibition of Māori fish-hooks (matau) made from wood, bone, stone, and shell opens at Te Papa on Saturday December 4th. While early European explorers considered these fish-hooks to be ‘ill-made’ and ‘of doubtful efficacy’, research has shown that the design was highly effective. Unlike modern steel hooks, the MāoriRead more
Senior artist Vivian Lynn has for over 60 years been making critical and enquiring work. The recent selective survey I, HERE, NOW Vivian Lynn at the Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington (25 October 2008–15 March 2009) curated by Christina Barton, offered a rich selection ofRead more
Brian Brake is one of New Zealand’s best known photographers. His career covered the golden age of photojournalism – his images featured in magazines around the world such as Life and Paris Match. He was passionate about New Zealand, the people and landscapes. Te Papa is very fortunate to have been giftedRead more
One week to go before Slice of Heaven opens and they let me in for a quick peek at the exhibition – from the floor this time, not the bridge! The team is still busy installing and there is still lots to get finished. I’ve been working on the Slice of HeavenRead more
It’s been a week of intense activity in the Slice of Heaven exhibition space. With two weeks to go until opening all the teams involved in the project have been hard at work. Objects get installed, graphic panels are put up, wiring is sorted and cases for the next lotRead more
Paperskin – the art of tapa cloth is closing this weekend, on Sunday 12 September. If you haven’t been to see these amazing tapa works, now is the time to come into Te Papa. It will also be your last chance for some time to see the 22 metre Tongan ngatu (tapa), made inRead more
Installation of Te Papa’s new history exhibition Slice of Heaven – Twentieth Century Aotearoa continues – 29 days to go until opening on 2 October 2010… The views from the bridge on Level 5 give a taste of what’s to come and the topics that the exhibition will explore. Here is something evoking theRead more
Changes are underway at Te Papa. The build for the new history exhibition Slice of Heaven – Twentieth Century Aotearoa has started. In under one months time, on 2 October 2010, the exhibition will open to the public. The walls around the space have been up for a while but things are now really startingRead more
Music and museum exhibitions haven’t always gone together – all part of the old idea that a museum should be a solemn and silent place. Today, sound compositions in exhibitions are being used as part of the visitor experience. They offer a different way to approach the things on display – oneRead more
Aquarium like scenery, deep-sea coral and sponge gardens (an extremely rich and rare habitat), hungry groupers and sharks, as well as a frenzy of deep-sea eel-like creatures: the Three Kings Islands have it all for you. In April 2010, a team of five scientists from Te Papa and Massey UniversityRead more
Paperskin – the art of tapa cloth exhibition is full of many wonderful tapa artworks. But one Tongan tapa cloth (ngatu) in Te Papa’s collection is amazing because of its size – it is more than 22 metres long and over 4 metres wide. We have never been able to displayRead more
