Reviews

Review: Kiwiana lecture

Christine Fernyhough knew she had moved from being an interior decorator to a collector when she ran out of shelf space.

Read more |February 10, 2020

Friends Visit to View the Pacific Collection

Te Papa staff Grace Hutton, Humanities Collection Manager, Sean Mallon, Senior Curator of Pacific Histories & Cultures and Rachel Yates, Curator of Pacific Cultures guided our small group, giving us a privileged insight into some rare items in the Pacific collection collected by early visitors or gifted by families representing many ethnic groups living in […]

Read more |January 31, 2020

Review: Collecting and Exhibiting LGBTQI Fashion and Dress

Personable, passionate and clearly very involved in his topic Dr. Cole’s talk for the Friends of Te Papa referenced the politics, identities, artists, cultural environment and influences of fashion in  apparel both designed by and worn by gay society.

Read more |December 18, 2019

Review: From Enlightened Naturalists to Greta Thunberg

What a privilege to hear from Professor Sörlin from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. The professor works in environmental history and gave us a fascinating insight into some of the early Swedish naturalists that travelled on Cook’s two voyages into this part of the globe.

Read more |December 12, 2019

Here: Kupe to Cook with Michel Tuffery

It was a sold out Friend’s visit to listen to artist Michel Tuffery at Pātaka Art + Museum. Michel asked us to touch the anchor stone on our way into the gallery – this was the first invitation extended by him, in a conversation about having a conversation with the past. The stone, Maungaroa, or Te Huka-a-Tai, came from Eastern Polynesia and was left in Porirua over a thousand years ago by Kupe. When we touch it the past becomes the present, and we too become part of it’s history.

Read more |December 5, 2019

Review: How to… Connect with Art

What a delightful evening we had with Laura Jones, Te Papa educator, as she enthusiastically involved us all in how to connect with and appreciate art. We were connected to the child within as we considered a number of works traditional, modern and Pasifika – in the Toi Art Gallery.

Read more |November 8, 2019

Review: Colin McCahon and America

As one of the most renowned experts on Colin McCahon’s work, Peter Simpson had the audience at ‘Hello’. He continued to hold everyone’s attention with his fascinating insights into how a mere four months touring USA could have such an impact on McCahon’s development as an artist.

Read more |November 4, 2019

Review: Understanding Colour

Peter Wellings, Wellington ophthalmologist, who may well have gazed into the eyes of many in the audience, stood beside a large and compelling image of a beautiful garden. It was black and white. With a tap of his finger he saturated the image with colour. Aha. So began his lecture.

Read more |October 24, 2019

DNA research helps with preserving Te Tiriti o Waitangi

How could research undertaken on a piece of blank parchment help preserve the Treaty of Waitangi? Friends were intrigued to find out how from Peter Whitehead, National Library Collection Care Leader, Anna Whitehead

Read more |October 21, 2019

Handmade with the heart

In their third presentation, ‘Old is New’, in the Friends’ Indian Textiles series, Shani Pillai and Joji Jacob took us on a visual extravaganza looking at how traditional embroidery techniques, crafts and textiles are being honoured and kept alive in a globalised world.

Read more |October 10, 2019