SUPPORTING THE DOWSE FOR OVER 40 YEARS ISSUE 45 / AUGUST 2014

PLUS ALL THE LATEST INFO ABOUT UPCOMING FRIENDS EVENTS

STAGING PETER PERYER: A CAREFUL EYECurator Sian van Dyk introduces us to the new exhibition of works by photographer Peter Peryer.

PROFILE: BRIAN WOODIntroducing The Dowse’s new Curator, Programmes and Events.3 6 7

IN THIS ISSUEWE ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS OF THE 2014 STUDENT CRAFT/DESIGN AWARDS

INTERVIEW WITH ELIZABETH THOMSONIn association with the exhibition Elizabeth Thomson: Invitation to Openness – Substantive and Transitive States, Sian van Dyk talks to the artist about her work.

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ISSUE 45 / AUGUST 2014

ON THE COVERElizabeth Thomson, Painted Bronze Casts, 2014.

Photo: Tom Hoyle.SPECIALOFFERS

FRIENDS COMMITTEE 2014President

Heather Crichton P 021 937 750 Vice president

Colin Kelly Treasurer

Jonathan Tomkins General committee

Ann Montague, Bruce Sedcole, Kimberley Stephenson

Patron Gillian Deane

The Dowse Art Museum Friends liaison Katrina Smit

FRIENDS NEWSLETTER Editor Kimberley Stephenson

Designer Nicky Dyer

KEEP UP-TO-DATE WITH NEWS Please take a moment to send us your email

or change of postal address so we can keep in touch: friendsdowse@gmail.com

MEETINGS The Friends committee normally meets on the second Tuesday of the month,

6pm at The Dowse Art Museum.

Find us onlineFind the latest events and Friends news at

www.dowse.org.nz/friends

Join Us!For information about how to join the Friends of

The Dowse visit www.dowse.org.nz/friendsemail friends@dowse.org.nz

or phone 021 937 750

IN THIS ISSUEPg 2

Greetings from Courtney

Pg 3 Greetings from Heather

Pg 4 What’s on at The Dowse

Pg5 Staging Peter Peryer: A Careful Eye

Curator Sian van Dyk introduces us to the new exhibition of works by photographer Peter Peryer.

Pg 6 Interview with Elizabeth Thomson

In association with the exhibition Elizabeth Thomson: Invitation to Openness – Substantive and Transitive States, Sian van Dyk talks to the

artist about her work.

Pg 7 Profile: Brian Wood

Curator, Programmes and Events.

Pg 8 Upcoming Friends Events

Pg 9 The Art of Discovery

Emma McLeary profiles Wunderrūma: New Zealand Jewellery.

ARCHIBALD ART SUPPLIES, 95 MAIN STREET, UPPER HUTT

10% discount – except easels, pottery, magazines or commissioned work from an

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119 QUEENS DRIVE, LOWER HUTT 15% off – excludes Appearance Medicine and

current promotionsGORDON HARRIS – THE ART & GRAPHIC STORE,

170 VICTORIA STREET, WELLINGTON10% Discount – except books and magazines

Open 7 days with parking – Wheelchair friendly www.gordonharris.co.nz HORIZON PAPER PLUS,

228 HIGH STREET, LOWER HUTT10% off books, stationery and greeting cardsLA BELLA ITALIA, 10 NEVIS STREET, PETONE

10% discount on divella productsLIGHTHOUSE CINEMA, BEACH STREET, PETONE

Free coffee when purchasing a movie ticket MINE: THE DOWSE SHOP10% discount to Friends

REKA CAFÉ, 45 LAINGS ROAD, THE DOWSE ART MUSEUM, LOWER HUTT

10% discount on food and drink until 5pmRONA (GALLERY AND BOOKS),

151 MURITAI ROAD, EASTBOURNE10% discount on art books and art supplies

VICTORIANA FLORIST, QUEENSGATE SHOPPING MALL & 496 FERGUSSON DRIVE, UPPER HUTT

10% discount on all flowers and loyalty card membership

WITH WARM THANKS TO OUR BUSINESSESThese discounts are exclusive to Friends

members. Friends must showmembership card to receive discounts.

Tēnā koutou, and welcome to this issue of the Friends of The Dowse newsletter.My favourite book begins with the line: I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. I didn’t quite write this in the equivalent domestic setting, but I did draft it sitting in the new Wellington restaurant Loretta.

I wouldn’t normally open with such a tangent, but Loretta is actually quite philosophically linked to activities at The Dowse right now. The owners have kitted the 100-seat restaurant out with Carterton potter Paul Melser’s tableware, a decision that has imbued the eating experience with a rare depth of visual and tactile pleasure in today’s white-on-white design environment. The spotlight is suddenly on the handmade, and I can only hope it’s the tipping point.

The celebration of craft, design and making is very much a theme right now. At The Dowse, we are surrounded by the evidence of making: the jewellery in Wunderrūma, the carving in Matatoki, the ceramics in A Modest Modernism. And over and above that, it is the Student Craft/Design Awards season.

In this year’s awards, the judges were looking for a clear display of the design process, skill in making and interesting choice of materials, and above all, that undefinable spark that makes an item desirable. The lucky winners receive not only the cash prizes donated by name sponsor ECC, but exhibition at both The Dowse and media partner Urbis’s Auckland Designday event early next year.

Among the many things the Friends of The Dowse provide, perhaps the philanthropic

aspects of the Awards have been a little overlooked. The hundred-plus students entering the competition (which, unusually, has no entry fee) all have their work reviewed by an influential panel of judges. Winning and highly commended entries receive further attention through media coverage and display. This year for the first time a People’s Choice Award allows even more promotion. The difference this can make for a graduate as they take their first steps into a profession is significant. The Awards mark an important way in which the Friends of The Dowse support the next generation of talent in New Zealand - may they reach homes, restaurants, and galleries all around us soon.

HEI KONĀ MAI, COURTNEY JOHNSTON, DIRECTOR

Greetings from Courtney

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ISSUE 45 / AUGUST 2014

Hello Friends!

It has been a whirlwind couple of months since the AGM, with much planning being required for the ECC NZ Student Craft/Design Awards. These awards are a big part of The Friends annual events programme, and are proving to be one of the major national student design competitions in New Zealand. In fact, they are the only student-focused design competition that covers such a variety of disciplines, with entries spanning lighting design, product design, furniture design, jewellery design, textile and fashion design, and craft. We are very proud of how far the Awards have come and our aim will always be to help support emerging design talent in this country and to give students a kick-start in their design careers.

It is a privilege to be appointed in my new role, and as the incoming President I would like to sincerely thank our previous President, Bruce Sedcole, for the amazing amount of time he and his family (Megan, Hannah and Ella), have contributed to The Friends over the last 5 years. He has put many hours into organising the annual Architecture Tour, which has seen members visit many wonderful homes in our region. Bruce has

Greetings from Heather

The Friends of The Dowse would like to congratulate this year’s winners:

SUPREME AWARD WINNER – William Nicholson, Flat Pack StoolRUNNER UP WINNER – Nicole Wesseling, Zen

THANK YOU to Efficient Moving and Storage for freighting the winning designs from around the country for exhibition at The Dowse from Friday 29th – Sunday 31st August. We are truly grateful for their support. Please contact Mike Henderson, Wellington Branch Manager for all your moving and storage needs.

www.efficientmovers.co.nz

ECC NZ Student Craft/Design Awards 2014

shown huge commitment and devotion to the role and has been instrumental in ensuring the committee maintains a high standard of delivery to our Friends members. In recognition of his achievements as President, the committee has gifted Bruce a Friends of The Dowse brooch, designed by

Lynn Kelly, and which you as members all have an opportunity to purchase.

The ongoing committee includes: Colin Kelly, who has been appointed Vice-President, Jonathan Tomkins (Financial Controller), Bruce Sedcole, Ann Montague and Kimberley Stephenson. It is great to have the continued support of this dedicated team.

I would like to sign off by talking a little bit more about the ECC NZ Student Craft/Design Awards. A big thank you goes to our naming sponsor ECC Lighting and Furniture, and partner Urbis magazine. Both ECC and Urbis have allowed us to widen our exposure of the Awards amongst the

design industry and their customer base. This year we have had online voting for the People’s Choice Award, a new social media initiative run by ECC specifically for us. Thanks also goes to our wonderful judges, which this year included Richard Crane (ECC), Kirsten Matthew (Editor Urbis), Fiona Campbell (Real Art Roadshow), Tim Wigmore (lighting and furniture designer) and Courtney Johnston (Director of The Dowse).

Thank you all for volunteering your time and showing your continued support.

Enjoy this fabulous newsletter, edited by Kimberley Stephenson

and designed and artworked by Nicky Dyer. These two ladies do a fabulous job and I would like to thank them for the time they devote to bringing us news from The Friends of The Dowse. Thanks also go to the staff at The Dowse, whose support of the newsletter is greatly appreciated.

ALL THE BEST HEATHER CRICHTON, PRESIDENT

ABOVE: Collection Tour with Bev Eng, held in conjunction with the Friends of the Dowse AGM, 2014.

LOOK OUT FOR PROFILES OF THE WINNING ENTRIES IN OUR NEXT ISSUE

ISSUE 44 / MAY 2014

NUKU TEWHATEWHAONGOINGCommissioned by Te Ātiawa chief Wī Tako Ngātata in the 1850s as a sign of support for the Kīngitanga (Māori King) movement, Nuku Tewhatewha is one of seven pātaka built around the North Island as ‘Pillars of the Kingdom’.

Nuku Tewhatewha (detail).

FALLEN ROBOTONGOINGCommissioned by the E Tu Awakairangi Hutt Public Art Trust, Ronnie van Hout’s giant metal robot reclines in front of The Dowse.

Ronnie van Hout, Fallen Robot (detail).

WUNDERRŪMA: NEW ZEALAND JEWELLERYUNTIL 28 SEPTEMBER 2014 Wunderrūma is the largest exhibition of New Zealand jewellery to ever travel to Europe. Shown at Galerie Handwerk in Munich, Germany as Wunderrūma: Schmuck aus Neuseeland before returning to New Zealand for its showing at The Dowse, the exhibition brings together over 200 pieces by more than 75 New Zealand jewellers and artists as well as Māori taonga and Pacific and historical European jewellery from Te Papa.

Ross Malcolm, Yellow Brooch, 2013.

MATATOKI: CONTEMPORARY MĀORI CARVINGUNTIL 28 SEPTEMBER 2014Developed by Rotorua Museum, Matatoki brings together the work of some internationally-recognised contemporary Māori carvers.

REVERIE: CONTEMPLATIVE PAINTINGS FROM THE COLLECTION UNTIL 19 OCTOBER 2014Reverie brings together a selection of dreamy oil and watercolour paintings from The Dowse collection. Featuring works by Joanna Paul, Toss Woollaston, Flora Scales, Michael Harrison, Olivia Spencer Bower and Gretchen Albrecht.

Joanna Paul, Bedroom Window from the ‘Beta Street’ series (detail), 1978. Collection of The Dowse Art Museum.

A MODEST MODERNISM: ROY COWAN & JULIET PETERUNTIL 2 NOVEMBER 2014 A Modest Modernism: Roy Cowan & Juliet Peter celebrates the creative lives of Wellington artist couple Roy Cowan (Ngāpuhi, Te Atiawa 1918-2006) and Juliet Peter (1915-2010). Painters, printmakers, potters and illustrators, both artists placed aesthetics at the heart of all their work, and approached life with the idea that all artistic activity is connected.

Roy Cowan in his garden workshop at 8 Heke Street, Ngaio, 1960s or 1970s.

DEAR NOSTALGIAUNTIL 9 NOVEMBER 2014Presenting over 100 objects from the Petone Settlers Museum, Dear Nostalgia is an invitation to glimpse the past. From treasured toys and glamorous accessories to a cannon ball and handcuffs, this exhibition will catch your eye, capture your imagination and transport you to another time!

ExhibitionsPETER PERYER: A CAREFUL EYEUNTIL 23 NOVEMBER 2014 Peter Peryer had his first solo exhibition at a public gallery here at The Dowse in 1977. It was a visionary move by then director Jim Barr at a time when photography was rarely seen in public art institutions. Fast-forward to 2014 and Peter Peryer: A Careful Eye curated by The Dowse’s Sian van Dyk, is a selection of over 50 works from Peter’s celebrated career. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue with essays by both Jim Barr and Sian van Dyk.

LEFT: Peter Peryer, Camelia, 2010. Collection of Charnwood Trust. RIGHT: Peter Peryer, Veil, 2012. Private Collection.

ELIZABETH THOMSON: AN INVITATION TO OPENNESS - SUBSTANTIVE AND TRANSITIVE STATESUNTIL 23 NOVEMBER 2014Wellington sculptor Elizabeth Thomson creates a new installation for The Dowse. An entire room is quietly inhabited by hundreds of white moths which hover in the space as though having arrived of their own accord.

Elizabeth Thomson, Painted Bronze Casts, 2014.

EventsLATE LOUNGEFIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH 7–9PM | KOHA4 Sept Tommy and the Fallen Horses2 Oct Carlos Navae

CRAFTCAMPSATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 10.30AM AND 1.30PM $10 PER CHILDHead to The Dowse for a jewellery making workshop for children (aged between 5 and 14) and their grownups and be inspired by our Jewellery exhibition Wunderrūma. BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL T 04 570 6500 E dowsebookings@huttcity.govt.nz

TALK&TOUR: ELIZABETH THOMSON SATURDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 1PM I FREEMeet Wellington sculptor Elizabeth Thomson and hear her talk about creating her installation Elizabeth Thomson: An Invitation to Openness - Substantive and Transitive States, which features hundreds of white moths.

AUGUST 2014 – OCTOBER 2014

WHAT’S ON AT

SUBSCRIBE TO E-NEWS AT www.dowse.org.nz JOIN US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/thedowseartmuseum CHECK OUT www.dowse.org.nz/friends

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ISSUE 45 / AUGUST 2014

SUBSCRIBE TO E-NEWS AT www.dowse.org.nz JOIN US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/thedowseartmuseum CHECK OUT www.dowse.org.nz/friends

I first met Peter Peryer in 2007 when I was working at The Southland Museum and Art Gallery. Peter came to town to undertake the William Hodges Fellowship and almost immediately we became friends. Until that point I had been an admirer of his work from afar and getting to know Peter was a real privilege. I relished the time we spent together, and the opportunity to learn more about his practice and his thoughts on photography during his residency. Ever since then, I have continued to follow Peter’s practice, hoping to find the right opportunity to work with him professionally. Soon after I arrived at The Dowse, I learnt something very interesting, which helped make this dream a reality.

In 1977 Jim Barr, then director of The Dowse Art Museum, curated Peter Peryer: An Introduction, the first solo exhibition of Peter’s work in a public gallery. Prior to that his work had featured in specialist magazines such as PhotoForum, Creative Camera, and Spleen, and had been included in several group exhibitions. At this time photography was still a fledgling medium in the public art gallery environment, and a solo show of a photographer’s work was almost unheard of. It was a bold move by Jim and one of the first such exhibitions in New Zealand.

This new show, Peter Peryer: A Careful Eye, pays tribute to that first important exhibition for Peter, and is anchored by Hunua (1975) that was exhibited in it. This work was part of the ground-breaking series called Mars Hotel, in which Peter began to step away from his more inward-looking portraits and started finding inspiration in the world around him. Like many of his works, Hunua captures our attention through its sense of mystery.

Picture an abandoned concrete block. Stripped of its façade and divided by a centre line, it is gridded by holes that were once windows. Tagged in white paint on the bottom right corner of the building, above the hollow garage – like a clue from a dissipated counter culture – are the words “Mars Hotel”. Is this photograph of a film set, a model, or a real building?

While undertaking research for this exhibition, I went to New Plymouth to spend some time with Peter, and was enlightened when he googled the Grateful Dead album Mars Hotel for me one morning. What I saw was another concrete block, gridded by windows in a cratered

landscape with a green sun and two blue moons. While Peter knew about this album, he was not aware of its cover when he took his photograph. He did however have an instinct for the image the building would make. Not only is Hunua carefully composed, it also encourages social connection. In creating this image Peter

shared his appreciation of that obscure building; invoking its mystery and inviting us to consider the story behind it, the tagger - a Grateful Dead fan - and how we may, or may not, relate to them.

A Careful Eye is arranged in clusters of visual themes that explore the shared personality traits and physical attributes of Peter’s works. As the first work in the show, Hunua takes its place as an early ancestor in the series of internal guides or instinctual compositions that Peter has referred to as “families of photographs”. More than an

exhibition, this arrangement becomes like a reunion, where family members are brought together and their similarities are discovered. Each image becomes a part of the wider gene pool, where certain characteristics are repeated but never quite the same.

These clusters of photographs highlight contrasting forms, the play between what is manufactured and what is natural, and the recurring visual notes that inform Peter’s work. They emphasise his unique personal viewpoint, constantly providing snippets of a bigger picture. In this way, his images also offer clues that encourage us to move beyond his chosen subject and beneath the surface of our own everyday experiences.

SIAN VAN DYK, SENIOR CURATOR

EXHIBIT ION PROFILE

STAGING PETER PERYER: A CAREFUL EYE

TOP: Peter Peryer, Hunua, 1975. Jim Barr and Mary Barr loan collection, Dunedin Public Art Gallery. ABOVE: Peter Peryer, Buddhas hand, 2012. Collection of Jim Barr and Mary Barr.

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SIAN VAN DYK: While you are very well known as a sculptor today, you originally studied at Elam School of Fine Arts as a printmaker. What made you decide to move into making sculpture, and does printmaking inform your practice today?ELIZABETH THOMSON: At art school I enjoyed being inventive with printmaking, both photographically and sculpturally, seeking out ways of working that would suit what I wanted to say.From my first year I worked at a foundry, where I gained a huge amount of experience with tools and fine working. In 1988 I was invited to exhibit with photographers, Fiona Partington and Marie Shannon in Extension of the Photograph at Gregory Flint Gallery, Wellington. I asked Gregory if he would mind if I did a sculptural work as an extension of my photo-etchings. I modelled wax figures based on the climbers in my Fantham’s Peak print (1987) and cast them in bronze. The white wall became the mountain face with the climbers (fixed to the wall) diminishing in scale from the floor right up to the ceiling. Forced perspective and the potential of the white wall was a great discovery. I work in a very printmaking kind of way - my work is still related to surface, texture and topography. Printmaking methods also reflect in the materials, machinery and processes I use. It taught me to research and find commercial people to work with. As a result, I feel quite liberated with materials. I love finding out about things, making connections with people and learning from them.SVD: You don’t only make moths, but also plant specimens as well as working with images of supersized microscopic

organisms and the cellular patterns which they form. How did your interest in biological specimens begin?ET: At Titirangi Primary School in the Waitakere Ranges, school projects involved sourcing botanical specimens. Living in the bush meant we could collect a range of material, and my mother being a science teacher, encouraged me to identify, store and catalogue specimens in my exercise books. She also taught me biology and chemistry at Opunake High School. Her hands-on approach to teaching meant we did a lot of experiments - recording and drawing our findings. My early studies of moths, beetles and botanical forms for sculptural installations involved research at Auckland Museum and Te Papa, examining, drawing and photographing specimens. Entomologists gave me access to microscopes and it was viewing those tiny details which I found intriguing. With the removal of scale and reference, small sections become worlds in themselves. This sparked my interest in electron microscopy and the resulting images of strange, beautiful abstractions. SVD: How did the idea for this installation come about?ET: I had several ideas in mind for this project, and while the gallery with its high stud and natural light was beautiful, I wasn’t sure how any of the preconceived ideas would work. I put my drawings away and stood in the project room, letting go of any predetermined notions. The gallery dimensions are similar in scale to my studio, so I wanted to make a work that could inhabit the space - immersive but discreet; white on white. I wanted to create a similar sensation to my Kermadec

experience in 2011, floating in the blue void 10,000 metres deep.

SVD: Explain briefly the process you undergo to create your moths.

ET: I start by spending time drawing and photographing moths - looking at wings and patterning. For this project, I sculpted about 20 prototypes in wax and took silicon rubber moulds from the wings and bodies. Hot wax is injected into the moulds, and the wings and bodies assembled. Eyes are rolled out of wax and inserted into sockets, and antennae and legs attached. The moths are carefully packed and freighted to Auckland to be cast then returned to the studio for finishing.

An angle grinder is used to cut off large sprues (the channel for molten bronze in the casting process) on the undersides of the moths. The wings are ground to make them appear thinner and missing antennae and legs are made and welded on. Each moth is cleaned, etch-primed and flocked. With this project the subtle patterning requires varied shades of flock being applied at different stages. Each moth is a one-off and has its own character.

SVD: Can you tell us about the title for the show, about the importance of the words in the title of this installation substantive and transitive to you?

ET: The first part of the title, Invitation to Openness is taken from an album by jazz pianist Les McCann recorded in the late 70s - the style is inventive and nocturnal, atmospheric jazz fusion. I always liked the title. To appreciate the music you have to be prepared to let go and allow the music wash over you.

INTERVIEW

This August, hundreds of flocked bronze moths will invade the gallery as part of the exhibition Elizabeth Thomson: Invitation to Openness — Substantive and Transitive States. During the recent installation of this work, curator Sian van Dyk spoke with the Wellington sculptor about the project.

ELIZABETH THOMSON

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PROFILE

ABOVE: Elizabeth Thomson at work in her studio, 2014. Photos: Tom Hoyle.

Kia ora I am Brian Wood, the new Curator, Programmes and Events at The Dowse. I am filling in for Sian van Dyk, while Sian fills in for Emma Bugden, who is currently on maternity leave.

I’ve moved to Wellington specifically for this role, though I was born in the Hutt and grew up on the Kapiti Coast. I have always loved The Dowse and have lots of fond memories of exhibitions here over the years. In my previous role I was the Head of the Valuation Department and Head of the Ceramics Department at Webb’s, a busy Auckland auction house. While I was at Webb’s I worked on a number of large scale museum and gallery valuation projects, and seeing these amazing collections formed the desire to make the transition from the auction world to a public art institution.

My interest in ceramics started as a young teenager and in my early twenties I ran a gallery and antique shop that also sold studio pottery. I was fortunate to meet some local potters who were very encouraging and supportive of my interest. I began making my own domestic ware, which was a great way

to develop a deeper understanding of the medium and to be more discerning about qualities that make a good pot. Later I went on to complete a degree in ceramics from The School of Art at Otago Polytechnic and whilst a student there I curated and project managed Sgt P, a large-scale ceramic installation by the artist Jim Cooper, which was shown and toured by The Dowse.

My role here is quite diverse. I’m managing touring exhibitions over the coming months, including the fabulous 70s fashion show The Age of Aquarius from the NZ Fashion Museum for summer 2014/15. I’m also devising and running public programme events to accompany exhibitions,

as well as our regular Late Lounge and the 2015 Big Day Dowse.

One of the most exciting aspects of working here is discovering relatively unseen gems in the collection store, a process which is forming the basis of an exhibition idea I’m working on. The most recent was a delicate watercolour study of mushrooms by Rita Angus. Watch this space!

BRIAN WOODCURATOR, PROGRAMMES AND EVENTS

ABOVE: Rita Angus, Study of Mushrooms, 1956. Collection of The Dowse Art Museum. Purchased 1978.

Substantive is of place, the physical. Transitive relates to being conscious of something beyond the physical. The sensation involves a shift from the physical experience of immersion to a psychological feeling of liberation and detachment, which equates to transitioning to a higher order of consciousness. The white moths have a ghostly presence - tangible but elusive, quiet and contemplative. I liken this installation to an awakening or a blessing. Hopefully, people will be able to relax into it and enjoy its detail and openness.

ELIZABETH THOMSON: INVITATION TO OPENNESS – SUBSTANTIVE AND TRANSITIVE STATES IS ON AT THE DOWSE UNTIL 23 NOVEMBER 2014

It is with great pleasure that we would like to offer Friends of The Dowse members an original piece of jewellery, designed by Lynn Kelly, exclusively for The Friends.

Each year The Friends will commission a piece of work to add to the Friends Collection, which will only be made available for sale to Friends members, and will be made in limited numbers.

Limited edition piece.

Member price $100Price to new members will be $130, which includes an individual membership fee.

Get your own pieceFaçade is available to purchase through the Mine shop at The Dowse Art Museum, or email: friendsdowse@gmail.com to order.

Please note postage will cost extra.

In conjunction with

Wunderr -umaUNTIL 21 SEPTEMBER 2014

AT THE DOWSE

Original Works by Lynn Kelly / Jeweller Silver, and 3D, UV printed Aluminium 2014

Limited EditionPiece of Jewellery

Each piece individually numbered from 1 of 100

Dimensions: 42mm wide x 40mm high

Become a friend of The Dowse

You will receive our quarterly newsletter and keep up-to-date with the latest Friends news, exhibition openings, gallery events and insider info! We have regular organised visits to exhibitions, floor talks, private art collection visits and studio/gallery/architectural tours. There are opportunities to volunteer or assist on special Dowse projects if you wish. Become more closely involved with The Dowse & like-minded people.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION RATES: STUDENTS/SENIOR CITIZENS $20 INDIVIDUAL $30 FAMILY $50 CORPORATE $250NAME ........................................................................................... PHONE ....................................................EMAIL .....................................................ADDRESS .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Send your details & cheque to: FRIENDS OF THE DOWSE, PO BOX 30 396, LOWER HUTT or email: friendsdowse@gmail.com or join online. www.dowse.org.nz/friends

UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE DOWSECHECK OUT WWW.DOWSE.ORG.NZ/FRIENDS FOR UPDATES AND NEW EVENTS

6.30PM FRIDAY 29 AUGUSTAT THE DOWSE

AWARDS NIGHT

SUPPORTED BY:

ECC NZ Student

Awards 2014Craft/Design

Recognising talent & innovation in the fields of:FURNITURE / PRODUCT / JEWELLERY

GLASSWORK / LIGHTING / TEXTILE / CERAMICS

SUPREME AWARD WINNER WILLIAM NICHOLSON, FLAT PACK STOOL

RUNNER UP WINNER NICOLE WESSELING, ZEN

THE FRIENDS OF THE DOWSE INVITE YOU TO JOIN THEM

My sister and I are currently seeking information and images regarding Morris Win for a future publication.

Mr Win (our grandfather) was a jeweller who worked primarily with paua and silver through the 1950s to the 1980s. He was based in Elson, Porirua, and used the word ‘Kotuku’ as his brand. He was one of the servicemen trained in jewellery-making on returning from World War II.

We are also very interested in obtaining images of Ida Hewdig’s work, as Mr Win manufactured her designs.

If you own one of Mr Win’s or Ms Hewdig’s pieces or know someone who does please contact Sarah Laracy.

E sarahjlaracy@hotmail.com P 02102426412

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

FRIENDS ANNUAL ARCHITECTURE TOUR 2014 ARCHITECTURAL HOMES OF LOWER HUTTSUNDAY AFTERNOON 16 NOVEMBER 2014 HOSTED BY BRUCE SEDCOLEBook your diaries now for a chance to tour some of the architectural homes of Lower Hutt. The Architecture Tour was sold out last year - so don’t be disappointed, book your ticket now!

FRIENDS: $30 / NON-FRIENDS: $40Bookings are limited and will not be confirmed until payment is received - tickets are sold on a first come basis. Once sold out, all bookings/payments thereafter will be returned.TO BOOK EMAIL: FRIENDSDOWSE@GMAIL.COM PHONE: MEGAN 04 569 8680Send cheque payment with contact details to:

Friends of The Dowse, Architecture Tour PO Box 30-396, Lower Hutt 5040

FURTHER DETAILS WILL BE SENT WITH YOUR TICKET

FRIENDS OF THE DOWSE

ANNUAL ARCHITECTURE

TOURSUNDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2014

A chance to see a selection of interesting homes in the Hutt Valley

ALWAYS A GREAT AFTERNOON

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ISSUE 45 / AUGUST 2014

Each time I return to Wunderrūma: New Zealand Jewellery I find something new I want to own. It began at the opening with Emily Valentine’s Kingfisher Brooch (2013).

“Is that a bird?” said the friend I was with. Yes it is – literally a whole bird mounted flat out as if ready to take off, its bright blue under-feathers poking through sensible brown and looking at once like a museum specimen and something I’d be keen to break out of its case.

Next on my list of covetable objects is Randell Cottage Jewellery – a quiet grouping of jewellery and trinkets found, ‘in a small hole behind the chimney’ when Thorndon’s Randell Cottage was renovated in the 1990s. They sit adjacent to the case holding Kingfisher Brooch – I’d hardly taken a step into the show before finding two pieces that delighted me.

In essence, jewellery is art to have and to hold – pieces to covet, to wear and to want. The thing with Wunderrūma, the thing which has made me sound as demanding and materialistic as Veruca Salt, is the set up – this is a show that is designed to encourage discovery.

To say The Dowse has been ambitious in their exhibition design is an understatement. It was all hands on deck in the lead-up as the team assembled, glued and stapled a series of rather special Perspex cases. They sit three to a

Emma McCleary is a new Friend of The Dowse. Emma is a crafter with a day job as a wordsmith who lives in Wairarapa. She likes good books, smart people, making things and silly jokes. She sells online at www.emmamakes.com and you can talk to her on Twitter @emmamakes

grouping and are stacked, which means visitors look – they really look – at the art. At the opening and at a later event I watched groups of all ages duck and weave, giggle, point and delight as they wove in and around, up and down the Perspex maze.

“Huh,” I thought towards the back of the room, “that case is empty;” only to discover the smallest of brooches hidden in the corner.

At one point I had to stop myself lying on the floor to get a better look at a set of metal leaves (Roy Mason’s Pennies from Heaven (2012)) just to prove they weren’t in fact ‘real’ leaves. They sit on the edge of the show, halfway in, but are also neatly reflected by a similar, and much more oxidised, leaf that forms part of the aforementioned Randell Cottage Jewellery collection.

It’s these kinds of ‘accidental’ themes and juxtapositions that fill the show and provide rewards on subsequent viewing.

Curators Warwick Freeman and Karl Fritsch say in their catalogue of the show ($25.00 from MINE The Dowse shop) that it was developed based on pieces they like. Wunderrūma has clearly been developed by people who’ve held it close for a long time – taken time to think through decisions and make choices that are instinctive and ingrained so that

THE ARTOF DISCOVERY

themes of materials, styles, shapes, time and meaning are created almost as if by osmosis.

Last time I caught up with director Courtney Johnston she told me, “The complaints about the exhibition design have died down.”

There’s no doubt the curators and The Dowse are brave in their choice to show Wunderrūma in this stacked case configuration. They’ve gone one step further and removed the labels too, moving details about artists and materials to a room booklet instead.

The Dowse has created a show which, through design, encourages visitors to look and discover – much better than any text wall panels, flat screen TVs or other types of museum interpretation could achieve.

EMMA MCCLEARY

EXHIBIT ION PROFILE