Like the pattern of a Persian carpet Anna Williams wove stories of her life’s journey amidst tales of craft and culture to two intimate groups in her tiny studio off Tory Street. She paid homage to the unseen, unknown craftsmen. To us they are treasures, to grace our floors or walls. To the artisans in […]
Read more |September 14, 2017
The recent Seddon earthquakes, hastened the plans to earthquake strengthen this Category 1 heritage building and after almost 4 years of strengthening work it was officially reopened in April 2017. Father Barry Scannell gave us a detailed and fascinating account of this strengthening work.
Read more |September 5, 2017
The subject for the evening was Cartoons: Can they survive the digital age? The panel comprised cartoon historian and writer Ian F Grant, cartoonist Toby Morris, political columnist Jane Clifton, and was moderated by the doyen of TV interviewing, Ian Fraser.
Read more |August 28, 2017
Art became visceral and live in its depiction of rock ‘n’ roll’s energetic audibility. Elvis himself quickly became a favourite subject, artists playing with his masculinity and dandyism, or portraying him as a mythical, tragic figure. Jackson Pollock’s work can be seen as his response to the stimulus of rock ‘n’ roll.
Read more |August 7, 2017
‘Colonial Gothic to Māori Renaissance’ is a remarkable eulogy to Jonathan Mane-Wheoki from friends, colleagues, and former students and its contents are as varied and fascinating as the man himself.
Read more |August 7, 2017
The star attraction undoubtedly was the 1968 Colin McCahon, Helensville Series A, No. 1-4. Instantly recognisable as a McCahon with its monumental and pared down black and white imagery but intriguingly lacking the trademark lettering found on much of the later work. This was in fact his last
Read more |July 23, 2017
‘Rich and interesting’ was how Tony Mackle, art historian, described his research into Frances Hodgkins’ formative years, and ‘rich and interesting’ was his address to the Friends of Te Papa in early July.
Read more |July 17, 2017
Recently Friends had the rare opportunity to see a selection of E Mervyn Taylor’s prints, drawings and water colours,.. Tony Mackle explained the complexities of producing a woodblock print, from imagining a concept and capturing that in a drawing, carving the image on a tiny block of boxwood (end grain) and then finally hand-printing his exquisite woodcuts
Read more |July 6, 2017
Under the expert guidance of Miri Young and the team of Hinātore, Te Papa’s magical new Learning Lab, a group of Friends recently explored the amazing mysteries of digital modelling and 3D painting.
Read more |July 5, 2017
Walter Cook took his audience on an entrancing and inspiring journey through the story of modern design, with the central theme of ‘Liberty Style in New Zealand’. Cook, a renowned Wellington collector and expert on the decorative arts between 1860 and 1970, presented a talk on the fashionable British store Liberty & Co which had […]
Read more |July 5, 2017
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