Autumn Lecture Series
Captain Cook, giant whales’s teeth and a waka tauihu – what do they have in common? They are all sculptures in Gisborne City. And soon they might be joined by Wal and the Dog! If you want to find out more about “Art in Public Places” then come to the first of three lectures at the Tairawhiti Museum at 5.30 pm on Wednesday 24th February, being sponsored by ‘The Friends of the Museum’ and Creative Tairawhiti.
Public art has traditionally included sculptures and memorials that celebrate important people and events. Today the boundaries of public art have expanded to include murals, gardens and even temporary installations. The Gisborne District Council’s Art in Public Places Committee has developed a number of public art projects that will come to fruition and enhance the cityscape over the next two or three years. This series of lectures is designed to encourage our interest in public art projects in our city, by learning more about public art in other New Zealand cities.
Lecture One: Putting Art in its Place
Date: Wednesday 24 February
Venue: Tairawhiti Museum
Time: 5.30
Para Matchitt’s bridge sculpture on the Wellington waterfront, Selwyn Muru’s gateway in Aotea Square in Auckland, Neil Dawson’s millennium sculpture in Cathedral Square, Christchurch and Robbie Burns in the Octagon in Dunedin; these are all public art works that (re)define the way we think about these spaces. Dr Robin Woodward, a lecturer in the Art History Department at Auckland University, will take us on a tour around some of the best known public art works in New Zealand and consider why they make these places so special. She will discuss the changing purpose of public art with particular reference to the history and contemporary implementation of public art in Auckland. Dr Woodward has been involved in the development of public art policy and a wide range of public art projects in the Auckland area.
Lecture Two: The heART of this Place: Waitakere City
Date: Wednesday 24 March
Venue: Tairawhiti Museum
Time: 5.30pm
Waitakere City Council is widely recognised for it’s innovate public art projects. Naomi McCleary, Waitakere City Council Arts Officer, will outline the history of public art in Waitakere City, and talk about the process of bring together artists, planners, and architects to facilitate the inclusion of artworks in the development of new buildings and other public places. At the heart of this strategy is the belief that artists have an important role in creating and sustaining public spaces for the community. Waitakere City has demonstrated the benefits of developing a policy and vision for art in public places that acknowledges tangata whenua and also reflects the increasingly multicultural nature of our communities. Their public art policy is also aligned with their commitment environmental sustainability.
Lecture Three: An Artist’s Perspective
Date: Wednesday 21 April
Sculptor Brett Graham will talk about his experience as an artist involved in public art projects.
download Lecture Series details...Autumn Lecture Series 
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