Canterbury Museum will reopen to the public from 9.00 am on 2 September.

The Museum has been closed to the public since the 22 February earthquake, and has since undergone full structural and seismic assessments. The majority of damage to the building was non-structural damage to walls and ceilings and the repair work in the galleries has now been completed.

The Museum is the only neo-Gothic heritage building in Christchurch that has survived the earthquakes in good condition, largely as a result of earthquake strengthening carried out in the early 1990s.

Canterbury Museum is located on Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch and is open daily from 9.00 am – 5.00 pm. General admission is free; donations are appreciated. For more information visit www.canterburymuseum.com.

Special Exhibitions

WOW® Icons on Tour
2 September – 1 November
Museum Foyer
During the REAL New Zealand Festival eight iconic garments from the World of WearableArt™ collection will appear in eight different regions throughout New Zealand under the exhibition name WOW® Icons on Tour. The garment on display at Canterbury Museum is Rattle Your Dags by Paula Coulthard and Ursula Dixon, shown against the backdrop of Hawkduns by Grahame Sydney

WOW® Icons on Tour is the precursor to a larger national touring exhibition of garments from the WOW historic garment collection entitled Off the Wall, which will open at Canterbury Museum in December 2011.

Hard on the Heels: Capturing the All Blacks
2 September – 29 January
Level 1
New Zealand's leading rugby photographer Peter Bush describes capturing an All Black game as 'a total workout'. His powerful photographs are hard-won: the result of chasing the game up and down the field, while others set up their cameras and wait for the game to come to them.
Featuring over 100 images of great All Black moments, games and players over a 60-year period, Hard on the Heels is drawn from Bush's vast library of photographs and features personal favourites, the controversial and contentious, alongside humorous, candid behind-the-scenes shots.
Created especially to celebrate New Zealand's hosting of this year's World Cup, this exhibition is a must see for all Kiwis and for visiting rugby fans. Hard on the Heels is developed by Exhibition Services Tours and is proudly sponsored by Canon New Zealand.

Brian Brake: Lens on the world
2 September – 20 November
Special Exhibition Hall
Brian Brake was New Zealand’s best known photographer from the 1960s to the 1980s, and arguably remains so today. He gained international prominence with his ‘Monsoon’ essay on India, which was seen around the world in Life, Paris Match, Epoca and other picture magazines in 1961.

This exhibition features 165 superb photographic reproductions from Te Papa’s permanent collection, and is the first comprehensive retrospective exhibition of this notable photographer’s work, spanning his forty-year career. Brian Brake: Lens on the world was developed by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Presented in partnership with the Christchurch Art Gallery and proudly supported by The Press.

Face Value
2 September – 28 November
Level 3
Face Value, an exhibition of photography and film by Serena Giovanna Stevenson, explores the stories of six individuals and looks at facial tā moko in its unique environment. The images absorb the viewer’s attention but refrain from entering into the history, specific cultural knowledge or politics of moko. Face Value is assisted by Pataka Museum and toured by Exhibition Services Tours.

Hearts for Christchurch
2 September – 22 February
Visitor Lounge
Hearts for Christchurch showcases an amazing array of more than 4,000 stitch-craft hearts from around the world. The project is the inspiration of Napier woman, Evie Harris, who started creating and gathering the hearts after the February earthquake.

Word got out amongst the stitch-craft community about the project and soon hearts started arriving from all over New Zealand and the world. Find out more about the project on Evie’s blog: http://heartsforchristchurch.blogspot.com/

ENDS

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