Early July Newsletter
Ngā mihi o Matariki
As we welcome the season of renewal, reflection, and connection, we also want to acknowledge a small but important update. Many of you have noticed that our booking system is currently offline while we complete the final refinements to our new website. We know this disruption is frustrating, and we’re genuinely grateful for your patience. For now, we’re keeping things simple: please call the office on 021 488 787 or email rachael.brenton-rule@tepapa.govt.nz and I will book your tickets manually by bank transfer. Thank you for bearing with us as we make this transition; we’re nearly there, and your understanding means a great deal.
Slow Burn: Women and Photography Curator Talk is coming up on July 28, and we are very pleased to be bringing you the opportunity to have an insight into this stunning exhibition. Lissa Mitchell, Te Papa Curator Historical Documentary (Photography), will share fresh insight into how women and non‑binary artists have shaped photographic practice in Aotearoa, and how slow, thoughtful making can transform the way we see. She’ll encourage you to look closely: at the relationships behind each image, at the care embedded in the making, and at the ways photography can hold identity, whānau, and place. For our many members who are passionate photographers, this session offers a rare chance to see the craft through a curatorial lens. Slow Burn: Women and Photography is a stirring catalyst for conversations about intention, process, and the quiet labour behind an image, ideas that resonate with anyone who has spent time behind a camera. As you move through the exhibition, consider which images shift your understanding, where you see threads of connection, and what “slow creation” might mean in a fast‑moving world. Read more here
August Events
Museums and National Identity August 20
Friends committee member Richard Norman brings exceptional depth, clarity, and skill as a speaker to this richly informative session. With a PhD in public administration, decades of teaching experience, and a long-standing commitment to museum leadership and cultural strategy, Richard has an extraordinary ability to make complex histories vivid and accessible. His illustrated talk traces how national identities in Central and Eastern Europe have been shaped by centuries of empire, conflict, religion, and reinvention — and how museums, artefacts, and architecture reveal these layered stories. Drawing on his recent journey along the Danube, Richard offers a thoughtful, research‑informed perspective on what these international examples might mean for Aotearoa at a time of financial constraint and strategic change. This is an engaging, wide‑ranging talk delivered by someone who understands museums from the inside out, and members will come away inspired, informed, and eager to reflect on their own experiences of place and identity.
Peggy Guggenheim – A Life of Collecting August 23
Our lecture series with the Wellington Arts Society continues with Charlie Hall, whose deep knowledge and engaging style bring the extraordinary life of Peggy Guggenheim vividly to life. Held in Te Papa's Soundings Theatre, this talk will cover Guggenheim's captivating journey from bohemian Paris and wartime Parisian escape to the bold modernism of New York and the shimmering canals of Venice. This richly illustrated talk traces how Peggy built one of the world’s most important collections of Modern art, championed artists like Pollock, Rothko, and Duchamp, and reshaped the course of 20th‑century art. A fascinating story of courage, eccentricity, and vision awaits.
He Toi Whakairo — Member Preview August 28
If you follow Te Papa’s permanent exhibitions with a critical eye, this is your chance to be among the first to preview He Toi Whakairo, a landmark exhibition bringing together seven centuries of artistry. Featuring 147 taonga spanning the 1300s to today, the exhibition reveals whakairo as both a deeply ancestral practice and a vibrant, continually evolving artform. This member‑exclusive preview offers a rare, exciting first look at a landmark exhibition that will run for five years — a powerful celebration of Māori carving, innovation, and cultural continuity.
September Events
For the Love of Letterpress September 3
Join Sydney Shep for an intimate, behind‑the‑scenes tour of Wai‑te‑ata Press — a rare opportunity for members fascinated by the mechanics, heritage, and hands‑on craft of printing. This visit opens the door to remarkable letterpress technologies, historic presses, and the only working collection of Chinese full‑form heritage type in the southern hemisphere. You’ll explore wood and metal type, ingenious machinery, and typographic treasures that reveal the deep technical history of printmaking. As Reader in Book History and a passionate practising printer, Sydney brings extraordinary knowledge, skill, and enthusiasm to this richly textured experience — a chance to meet an artisan utterly devoted to her craft.
Nancy Adams: Curatorial Floor Talk & Herbarium Visit September 9
Discover the botanical legacy of Nancy Adams, one of Aotearoa’s most influential botanists and illustrators. Lizzie Bisley, Curator Modern Art and Heidi Meudt, Curator Botany will take you through the life and work of this astonishing woman. Begin at the vibrant Nancy Adams: The Art of Seaweed display, where her artworks, specimens, and research come to life through expert insight. Then head behind the scenes to Te Papa’s herbarium to view Adams’ original collections and learn how her lifelong study of native flora continues to shape our understanding of New Zealand’s botanical heritage.
Beyond the Aperture: The Art of Paying Attention September 26
Dr Chris McKeown is an engaging, deeply thoughtful speaker whose new project brings together art, neuroscience, and lived creative practice to explore what truly motivates artists — and what they hope their work awakens in us. In developing a forthcoming book, Chris has been interviewing an extraordinary range of creatives — carvers, glassblowers, actors, directors, poets, painters, musicians, comedians, photographers — all reflecting on what they seek to transfer to the viewer through their craft. His lecture, Beyond the Aperture: The Art of Paying Attention, invites members into this rich, unfolding inquiry. With his gift for storytelling, his curiosity about the mind, and his ability to make complex ideas feel intimate and human, Chris offers a rare chance to think differently about how art communicates, connects, and transforms. This is a speaker whose passion is contagious, and whose insights will stay with you long after the session ends.
Members who relish travel and discovery have a wonderful few months ahead. We’re delighted to offer a suite of journeys designed to inspire, connect, and immerse you in the stories of Aotearoa and beyond. This September, you can venture into the History and Heritage of the Coromandel or join Sir David Moxon on a deeply informed Waikato Pilgrimage, two very different experiences, each rich in culture, landscape, and expert guidance. In February, treat yourself to a sun‑soaked escape to the Art Deco capital, Napier for a festival weekend full of glamour and heritage. And for those seeking something truly unforgettable, our ANZAC Day Turkey Tour offers a powerful journey through history that will stay with you long after you return home.
As winter settles in and we start to notice the days stretching out again, there’s a real feeling of renewal in the air, a perfect moment to look forward to spring and all it brings. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing details about an exciting event on International Friends of Museums Day, 11 October. Pencil it in! It will be a wonderful reason to come to Te Papa, connect with one another, and celebrate what it means to be part of the Friends community.
Before then, we look forward to welcoming many of you to our AGM on Thursday 16 July. As a valued member, you’re warmly invited to attend, it’s a chance to come together, hear updates, and be part of the ongoing life of our organisation. Our Mid-Winter Lunch is tomorrow, Thursday 9 July and it is not too late to come, email me and I will secure your seat at the table.
As we wrap up this newsletter, a gentle reminder that I’m always happy to take your requests for ticket bookings, just get in touch and I’ll organise everything for you directly. Nothing will dampen our spirits while a few systems are behaving unpredictably; this little hiccup is only temporary, and it won’t get in the way of enjoying the wonderful events ahead.
Ngā manaakitanga o Matariki
Rachael Brenton-Rule - Coordinator
rachael.brenton-rule@tepapa.govt.nz
021 488 787
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Image credit: Stella Brennan, Threads VI. From the series: Thread Between Darkness and Light, 2023-24. Purchased 2024. Te Papa (O.052193)