A passion for precision: Remembering Milan Mrkusich (1925-2018)
It is with sadness that Te Papa acknowledges the passing last week of New Zealand artist Milan Mrkusich (1925–2018).Read more
2018-06-19
The story behind the Ko Rongowhakaata typeface
The typeface used in the exhibition ‘Ko Rongowhakaata: The Story of Light and Shadow’ was developed in 2017. But its origins date back to the early 1800s, and is intimately connected to the iwi. Here is its story.Read more
2018-06-18
Crabzilla! Our terrifying coconut crab is watching you
A crab that can break coconuts, grows as big as a dog, steals anything that isn’t nailed down, and enjoys a tickle. Crab expert Rick Webber introduces us to the largest land-living arthropod in the world.Read more
2018-06-14
Cigars, gin, and boredom: The strange world of Walter Sickert
Art Curator Mark Stocker, looks at the remarkable life and personality of artist Walter Sickert, and focuses on one of his famous etchings Ennui (1915).Read more
2018-06-02
Women’s rights are human rights: Collecting protest objects
Women activists have produced a rich trail of protest objects including the ‘monster’ suffrage petition of 1893. History Curator Stephanie Gibson highlights some memorable objects of the Women’s Marches held on 21 January 2017.Read more
2018-06-01
What remains: When photos capture fleeting nature of time
Collections Data Technician Gareth Watkins finds a series of photographs from the 1800s where a combination of movement and long exposure has created unusual, ghostly scenes.Read more
2018-06-01
The secrets found on the backs of paintings
Accompanying the portrait wall in Tūrangawaewae: Art and New Zealand are digital interactives that allow you to dive deeper into the conservation efforts that prepared the paintings for exhibition, and reveal hidden histories. Conservator Paintings Linda Waters writes about what the back of a painting can tell you.Read more
2018-05-31
Reassembling bones: How to build a Hector’s dolphin
Navigating brittle bones and teeth the size of rice, Thomas Schultz, Collection Manager Science, reflects on putting a Hector’s dolphin back together for an exhibition that would tour North America for ten years.Read more
2018-05-28
Ghost shark in volcano caught on camera
A rare sighting has been made by one of our hosts Perry Hyde, and the rest of the crew of the JOIDES Resolution.Read more
2018-05-24
Peddling to freedom: 19th century cycling dress for women
“A woman on a bicycle – legs astride – threatened 19th-century definitions of feminine respectability.” History Curator Claire Regnault dives into the contentious history of ladies on bicycles.Read more
2018-05-23
Pink Shirt Day: Finding strength through taonga
Today is Pink Shirt Day, “a day about working together to stop bullying by celebrating diversity”. Collections Data Technician Gareth Watkins talks about the significance of the day, and finding strength in our collections.Read more
2018-05-18
How many species of the confusing shrub toropapa are disguised in the bush?
Toropapa has been confusing botanists for over 100 years because they show extreme variation in leaf shape – even between plants considered to be the same species from a single location.Read more
2018-05-14
The decade-long journey of our whales exhibition
After a decade in North America, our Whales | Tohorā exhibition is making its way back south through the Pacific. For anyone who can’t recall the exhibition – it finished showing at Te Papa in May 2008. Here’s a brief recap from Pat Stodart, Touring Exhibition Manager.Read more
2018-05-11
How your behaviour has changed the way we make digital exhibition labels
Have you used digital labels in our exhibitions? We use them to tell stories about our objects on screens, instead of just text on walls. Our User Experience team Karyn Brice and Kate Wanless share what they’ve learnt over the last year, and how these insights have helped create our most successful digital label ever.Read more
2018-05-09
‘I’ve never seen the gallery like this before’: Experiencing Toi Art through dance
Transfixed by BodyCartography Project’s Walk with me tour of Toi Art, Head of Exhibition Renewal Frith Williams wrote down her thoughts in the middle of the night, “so I could remember it later.” Here’s what she wrote.Read more
2018-05-08