Media release

19 May 2009

For immediate release

We love our culture!

Puke Ariki’s exhibition about Taranaki culture and lifestyles is proving to be popular so it has been extended until Saturday 19 July.

“Since we opened Taranaki Culture in February the numbers through the exhibition have been fantastic,” says Bill Macnaught, Manager Puke Ariki.

“Culture is the third exhibition in the Common Ground series, and it’s looking like it will be the most popular. We’ve had over 11,000 people and groups through so far, compared with around 13,500 for the entire Whenua exhibition (the second in the series), and the feedback we’re receiving is extremely positive.”

Taranaki Culture: fresh out of the box explores the art and literature, lifestyles, value systems, traditions and beliefs that make Taranaki a place like no other. Fifteen artists, each with a link to Taranaki, have responded to specific items from the heritage collection selected by Puke Ariki Senior Researcher Ron Lambert.

The items chosen are not just representative of the ‘glory days’ of our history, they characterise the lives and achievements of the majority of the population which includes the good and bad experiences. And by inviting artists to give their interpretation of Taranaki culture, our stories are extended into another medium. 

“We work hard to create exhibitions which are both informative and entertaining,” says Macnaught.

“There’s a lot to look at and take in at this exhibition so by extending it we’re giving people the chance to come back and check out any artist interpretations they may have missed in their first visit.”

The speaker series has also been extended and is a great opportunity to hear first hand why an artist chose a particular item to respond to and what their influences were. Speaking in the exhibition space are:

·         John McLean and Richard Mathieson

6pm Wednesday 3 June

·         Ian Clothier and Tim Wigmore

6pm Wednesday 17 June

·         Leonie Smith

6pm Wednesday 1 July

·         Nicole Freeman

2pm Sunday 19 July

 
Taranaki Culture: fresh out of the box is the third of five exhibitions in the Common Ground series, and is proudly supported by the TSB Community Trust. The Common Ground series is designed to encourage better understanding of the history of Taranaki and its significance in the modern history of New Zealand.

The exhibition, Taranaki Culture, has been extended and now closes on Sunday 19 July. The next exhibition, Fixated: Photography Through History, opens on 1 August.

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