Christchurch Art Gallery scoops Australasian design awards

Christchurch Art Gallery scoops Australasian design awards

Christchurch Art Gallery publications have won top honours at an awards ceremony held in Alice Springs.

The prestigious Museums Australasia Multimedia and Publication Design Awards (MAPDAs), which celebrate excellence and creativity in the museum and galleries sector, were presented at a gala event last night.

Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū won best magazine for Bulletin, best children’s book for Art-tastic, and best book for Us v Them: Tony de Lautour, which also won the overall Best in Show award.

The awards are exciting recognition of the high calibre of the gallery’s publications, says Director Blair Jackson.

“The MAPDAs are very competitive so we’re absolutely thrilled to take Best in Show and three other accolades.

“Our publications are a great way to share our collections and keep in touch with a wider audience and, in the case of Art-tastic, to really engage with young people and get them interested in the world of art.”

Aaron Beehre, Senior Lecturer in Design at the Ilam School of Fine Arts, was responsible for the design of all three publications and was at the event to collect the awards on the gallery’s behalf. “Working with the gallery team is a huge privilege,” he says. “The success of these projects reflects the excellence and creativity of the gallery’s publishing programme.”

Us v Them is a companion to a recent exhibition and features sculptures, paintings and ceramic work by Christchurch artist Tony de Lautour. The winning collector’s edition also features a slipcase and a print by the artist.

Art-tastic is a bright, bold art activity book for young people featuring work by well-known New Zealand artists such as Rita Angus, Tony Fomison and Michael Parekowhai.

The gallery’s quarterly magazine Bulletin is designed in partnership with the graphic design class at the University of Canterbury’s Ilam School of Fine Arts.

Christchurch Art Gallery received two MAPDA awards last year - for its Little Books of Art series and Bulletin magazine.

ends

© Scoop Media