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President’s Column: December 2016

President’s Column: December 2016

Tēnā koutou

Ngā mihi

2016 has been a very busy and eventful year for the Friends; the past month rather too eventful for some of you. If you need distraction, Te Papa has plenty on offer this summer. The amazing Weta Workshop designed Bug Lab exhibition is now open. Bug Lab is enchanting and captivating visitors of all ages, so do come and see it as this unique exhibition is sure to be another international Te Papa hit.

As the renewal process proceeds, several Te Papa exhibitions including the  Ngā Toi | Arts Te Papa, on Level 5 will soon close. The Friends will be offering the chance to farewell some of your favourite spaces, beginning with a special viewing of Slice of Heaven. Before European Splendour 1500 – 1800  closes at the end of February, David Maskill will talk to us on French decorative art, in The Taste of Angels. In the smaller galleries, Framing the View includes an exquisite collection of images depicting the Pink and White Terraces, known as the eighth wonder of the world until their destruction in the 1886 Tarawera eruption. Take time out and enjoy the colour and detail of the J. C. Hoyte watercolours and Charles Blomfield oil paintings. Nearby, in New Visions, New Zealand there is a huge A Lois White wall panel, Palm Sunday, circa 1935. This unfinished work, begun when White was still a student, has rarely been hung in Te Papa.

So make sure you pop in over the summer and get a good ‘art-fix’ to last you until the new gallery opens at the end of 2017, as there is still plenty to see and do.

With the Friends Committee, thank you for your support this past year. We wish you and your families a very happy Christmas and holiday season and look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou

Nāku noa, nā Elizabeth