Exhibitions

This is a list of the Hawke's Bay Museum & Art Gallery upcoming exhibitions.

A Breath of Fresh Air - Art Deco’s fashionable legacy

13 February – 27 June 2010 Art Deco fashion swept away the cobwebs of the First World War with style. The austerity of wartime fashion was replaced with decorative, luxurious and modern styles that captured the spirit of the times. The glamour of the silver screen, the pattern and ornament of architecture and design, and the challenge of women’s liberation all combined to reshape fashion and how it fitted in with the modern world. Since then, the style and spirit of Art Deco have continued to resurface in fashion worldwide. Using garments and objects from the collection of the Hawke’s Bay Cultural/Trust Ruawharo Ta-u-Rangi, A Breath of Fresh Air takes a journey through 60 years of Art Deco in fashion. Exhibition Opening Free entry. Limited numbers, please RSVP to reception by Wednesday 9 February. Friday 12 February 2009 at 5.30pm

Ply-ability

Friday 11 December 2009 at 5.30pm Ply-ability 12 December 2009 – 27 June 2010 Ply-ability is the first exhibition in New Zealand devoted to the fascinating story of innovation and change in New Zealand plywood studio furniture. The exhibition celebrates the innovation of one of New Zealand’s most important furniture designers - Garth Chester - and the significant body of plywood furniture that he developed in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Using plywood, the material which captivated Chester, the exhibition looks at other New Zealand designers who have worked with plywood. It presents rare examples of local modernist furniture, experimental works by amateur designers and designs by some of New Zealand’s leading contemporary furniture designers. Using the common element of plywood, Ply-ability moves through key moments in the history of local design from Art Deco through to the present day. Ply-ability will be accompanied by a publication including new writing by curator Lucy Hammonds and guest writer Rigel Sorzano. A symposium exploring different models of New Zealand design practice is also planned for early next year. Please contact HBMAG to register your interest for this event. Free entry. Limited numbers, please RSVP Friday 11 December 2009 at 5.30pm

Graphica Britannica

14 November 2009 – 28 February 2010 Graphica Britannica is an exhibition of historically significant British prints from the first half of the 20th Century. Drawn from the Rex Nan Kivell Collection, this exhibition includes works by major British artists including Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Eric Gill, John Nash, John Piper and Graham Sutherland. This is a Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu touring exhibition. Saturday 14 November 2009

Waka Huia - Areta Wilkinson

17 October 2009 - 14 March 2010 Waka Huia is a treasure trove of precious jewellery, objects, and stories created by leading New Zealand jeweller Areta Wilkinson. The exhibition explores Wilkinson’s return to her spiritual home of Ngai Tahu, and reflects the cultural landscapes through which she travels. Wilkinson has developed a new element of Waka Huia for HBMAG viewers. These works adopt the tradition of carte de visite: travel photographs of family and loved ones. Wilkinson’s pictorial devices relate through whakapapa and legend, unlocking deeper narratives for the objects of Waka Huia. It is an exciting time to be working with Areta Wilkinson, one of this country’s leading Maori artists, who is fresh from receiving one of New Zealand’s most prestigious awards for contemporary jewellery – The New Dowse Gold Award. Friday 16 October 2009 at 5.30pm

The Miniatures - An adventure in the Bren collection, by Stephanie Johnson

26 September 2009 – 11 April 2010 The Miniatures weaves a magical moment around the tiny objects of the Bren collection – a set of miniatures collected in London during the 1930s and 1940s by Reverend Robert Bren. Donated to the Hawke's Bay Cultural Trust in 1958 by Rev Bren’s widow, a single black and white photograph and five small dolls remain the only clues of the stories around which the Reverend created this extraordinary collection. These secret stories have become the basis for HBMAG's latest writer's project.We invited Stephanie Johnson, an award winning novelist and screen-writer, to bring the Bren collection to life with a new cast of characters. Over a series of visits to explore the collection, Stephanie has created The Miniatures, a tale that leaps off into a fantasy world. Audiences young and old will delight in both the magic of the Bren collection and the storytelling talents of one of New Zealand’s favourite authors. Exhibition Opening: SPECIAL TIME Saturday 26 September 2009 at 11am

Living on The Edge: Hawke's Bay Earthquake, 1931

Ongoing The Hawke’s Bay Museum & Art Gallery (HBMAG) are pleased to announce a new permanent exhibition Hawke’s Bay Earthquake, 1931. This spectacular new exhibition opened to the public on Saturday 16 February to coincide with Art Deco Weekend celebrations. Created by the Hawke’s Bay Museum & Art Gallery in partnership with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council; Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management; Earthquake Commission; Geological & Nuclear Science (GNS); and the Art Deco Trust, the new exhibition combines the best of social history with the most recent scientific technologies and computer interactive displays. The earthquake had a significant impact on both Hawke’s Bay and New Zealand society; it remains the nation’s greatest natural disaster. Extensive research by GNS scientist’s has uncovered new and more accurate information about the earthquake with lengthy debate occurring amongst seismologists, scientists and local experts on the exact epicentre of the quake. This research has been incorporated into the exhibition and also forms part of new interactive displays. In the new exhibition visitors will experience Gaylene Preston’s exceptional documentary Survivors’ Stories alongside new geophysical and emergency disaster preparedness features, together with new touch screen interactive displays developed in partnership with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. Information accessed through the GEOSK computer allows visitors to look at data coming in from the geophysical networks - using seismographs and Global Positioning System (GPS) - operated across New Zealand by the GeoNet Project run by GNS Science.

Growing to Glory - Legends of Hawke's Bay Sport

Runs from 8 August 2009 Growing to Glory celebrates stories and successes of Hawke’s Bay sportspeople, both past and present. Using objects and photographs from both the HBCT and private collections, the exhibition showcases national and international achievements in Hawke’s Bay sport - from the rugby immortals George Nepia and Kel Tremain to the Olympic glory of the Evers-Swindell sisters. Curated by Frank Long.