Christine Murcott says it was “like meeting up with old friends” when she stepped into Aratoi recently to see the
Rutherford Trust Collection exhibition. She got to know each work intimately during the early 1990s when she initiated a
project to put New Zealand art literally into the hands of school students.
With a background in education and project management, she developed a teaching resource for (then) sixth and seventh
formers featuring large high quality reproductions of 20 of the 140 works, along with background on the artists.
“This was before widespread use of the internet in schools, and many of the correspondence students were in rural areas
and did not have access to good library books on New Zealand art history,” she says.
Electrocorp sponsored the printing of 500,000 packs, which were distributed to schools and correspondence students
throughout the country. They are still in use today. They were also taken up by parliament, Government House and
Premier House as gifts for visiting officials, and were even used with children in hospital.
“The project completely fitted in with the aims of the Rutherford Art Trust to develop a collection ultimately for
the people of New Zealand and make it accessible to them,” says Christine.
The response among students was “phenomenal:” “I remember visiting a girl in Kawhia who had the colour plates hanging
up all over her bedroom walls.”Of all the works, Philip Heath's 'Oceania' stands out as her
favourite, and is on display at Aratoi. "Here is a work based on Maori toanga, with the base elements of a
traditional waka huia (feather box) present. But rather than being carved, it is streamlined using red laquer and
almost Japanese in its simplicity. It has presence and importance."
Also
Calling Wairarapa artists
The Friends of Aratoi are inviting Wairarapa artists to enter their biannual Art Awards, which will be held in
December this year. The Awards are open to artists living in Wairarapa who may submit an original work in any medium.
This must have been completed in the past two years and not previously exhibited in Wairarapa. Entries close on 6
December, with a gala opening on 11 December. This year’s judge is Helen Kedgley, director at Pataka, Porirua.
Entry forms available soon from Aratoi.
Details for What’s On pages:
Exhibitions at Aratoi: I See. I Saw, until 9 August;
Selections from The Rutherford Trust Collection, until 16
August; King Street Artworks Annual Exhibition until 9 Aug;
Settling the Land: Order Out of Chaos, until 16 Aug;
Wairarapa Whakaputa Mohio: Settling the Land, until 31 Dec.
Aratoi Events: Next Free Lunchtime Art Bites on the
Rutherford Trust Collection, Weds 5 August, 12pm - 12.15pm.