January and February news and events from the Arts Centre te Matatiki Toi Ora

Forget Me Not Memorial Trail

Roses are red, violets are blue, here’s a scavenger hunt for the whānau to do.

Use the map, follow the clues, to find the memorials all around you!

The University of Canterbury’s Teece Museum has created the awesome Forget Me Not Memorial Trail – a fun, special and FREE scavenger hunt for families and groups to enjoy together these summer holidays.

The FREE trail activity booklet can be collected from Rutherford’s Den shop (in the Clock Tower at the Arts Centre, 2 Worcester Boulevard) or the Teece Museum (in the Chemistry building, 3 Hereford St) before hunting around the historic Christchurch arts precinct looking for memorials that celebrate the achievements of special New Zealanders (and a few ancient Romans for good measure!).

Those who tackle the challenge go into the draw to win a great family prize pack, including gifts from the Teece Museum, Rutherford’s Den, Canterbury Museum and the Christchurch Art Gallery.

Great Hall Lunchtime Concert Series

Our popular Great Hall Lunchtime Concert Series is being expanded in 2019 with two performances each month!

The series, which features renowned local, national and international artists in the stunning Great Hall, kicks off on 25 February with jazz pianist Douglas Caldwell and friends.

Other concerts include violinist Fiona Pears, jazz vocalist Jennine Bailey with pianist Tom Rainey, vocalist Janice Gray, the Lazarus String Quartet, Aeolus Saxophone Collective, jazz vocalist Nick Hollamby with pianist Tom Rainey, Brass Septet, and vocalist/guitarist Graham Wardrop with pianist Tom Rainey.

Performances are twice a month from late February through to the end of November.

A heritage landmark, the Great Hall was built in 1882, and is a stunning setting with stellar acoustics. These are not-to-be-missed gigs in a superbly unique location.

Rutherford’s Den is more than a museum – it’s a world of science, history, discovery and wonder brought to life through exciting multi-sensory displays and hands-on experiences. It’s a treat the Arts Centre te Matatiki Toi Ora has for visitors of all ages – especially over the summer holidays.

Visitors step inside the den and enjoy fun, dynamic, interactive activities as they learn in the actual rooms where the famous Kiwi scientist and the father of nuclear physics Ernest, Lord Rutherford studied.

The den is open seven days a week, 10.00am to 5.00pm, and is located in the Clock Tower building, 2 Worcester Boulevard. Entry is FREE for children aged under 5; $5 for students, people aged 65 or older, and children aged 5 to 17; and $10 for adults. A family with up to four children is $20. Tram ticket holders receive a 20% discount.

Leighs Construction Outdoor Cinema

The Arts Centre te Matatiki Toi Ora is showing Willy Wonka (1971), Dirty Dancing, Jungle Book (1967) and Princess Bride at the next Leighs Construction Outdoor Cinema events in the Arts Centre’s stunning North Quad this month – with one more event still to go!

The first two films will be shown on Friday 25 January, while the second two will be shown on Saturday 26 January. The earlier, child-friendly films start at 5.30pm, while the grown-up movies start at 8.00pm.

The Leighs Construction Outdoor Cinema is a beloved summer tradition that immerses cinemagoers in one of New Zealand’s landmark locations surrounded by stunning heritage buildings.

Entry is by a gold coin donation, which will go directly toward the Arts Centre’s restoration programme. As an independent charitable trust, the earthquake-damaged centre relies upon donations, gifts and sponsorship to complete the enormous heritage project.

The February Leighs Construction Outdoor Cinema dates are Friday 8 and Saturday 9 February 2019

Pop Lab installation and fabrication lab

Pop Lab is a retail showroom for products that you produce yourself, or short run made in a fab lab from digital files. It’s being held in Pūmanawa community exhibition space here at the Arts Centre until 17 February.

Pop Lab is designed to be a small box retail event – the antithesis of a big box retailer. All products within it are locally fabricated, most often by the consumer. These products can be digitally exported – the files, code and how-tos can enable anyone with access to digital fabrication tools to produce the products locally or globally.

The lab harnesses the capability of the Maker Movement and Fab Lab Network by providing a marketplace, meeting space and learning community. It is a curated exhibition to showcase what these spaces can provide communities.

It’s an innovative take on retail, where the consumer becomes the producer, and in the process gains a deeper understanding of how we can create sustainable products that can be repaired, customised, repurposed or iterated, rather than thrown away.

Pop Lab is a small step towards changing the narrative around consumption. It challenges economies of scale by selling experiences and skills with a take home product as the outcome. It is circular economy put into practice. It is carried out around Christmas to coincide with the busiest retail time of the year.

Arts Centre Mākete

The Arts Centre Mākete (Market) is fast becoming a weekly staple for locals as it features stalls crammed with fresh produce; locally-made, high-quality products; original and vintage finds, delicious food; art and design; and emerging enterprises in Market Square every week.

It is held in Market Square every Sunday from 10.00am to 4.00pm, no matter the weather.

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More details of these events and activities are available at artscentre.org.nz.

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