January 21

MEDIA RELEASE

Sculpture turns heads at Pompallier Mission

Visitors to Russell have only a few more days to experience something truly exceptional on-site at Pompallier Mission, the NZ Historic Places Trust property.

As well as enjoying the unique French pioneer printery and beautiful gardens, visitors can view sculptures in the grounds of Pompallier Mission until early February.

“We recently had the pleasure of hosting four second-year Northtec art students whose brief, from their tutor Murray Gibbs, was to observe the tools and objects of the Pompallier Mission printery, and to then upscale and reproduce a favourite,” says the Manager of Pompallier Mission, Kate Martin.

“Kata Linton, Jay Knowles, Elijah Revell and Alicia Courtney have done a brilliant job capturing the essence of some of Pompallier Mission’s unique chattels, and rendering them in large-scale sculptural form. It’s great to be able to show them in the place of their conception,” says Kate.

Visitors to Pompallier Mission can take part in a competition to identify which chattels the sculptural works represent with all correct entries going into a draw to win a pair of Pompallier Mugs.

Pompallier Mission is New Zealand’s earliest surviving factory where French Catholic missionaries worked tirelessly through the 1840s to produce thousands of Maori language books. The pioneer tannery and printery tools and equipment still in use here today were long ago replaced by new technology.

What were once every-day objects have now become fascinating heritage pieces – and inspiration for art students.

The artworks on display around the grounds recall the work that was done here, and the extraordinary production of Pompallier’s missionaries.

“The sheer scale of these sculptures is having a ‘jaw-dropping’ effect on visitors to Pompallier Mission – which is wonderful to see,” says Kate.

The winner of the sculpture contest will be drawn on February 3.

Pompallier Mission (The Strand, Russell, Bay of Islands) is open daily from 10am except Christmas Day. For more information, log on to www.historicplaces.org.nz

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