OUR PEOPLE

STAFF

Maree Mills

Director

Maree Mills joined the Hastings City Arty Gallery in January 2008. She is of Maori (Ngati Tuwharetoa) English and Scottish descent. Maree has spent her first year planning a new direction for the gallery, including a comprehensive programme, the set up of an advisory group, extending staff and capacity, and building relationships with the wider community.

She previously lectured at the University of Waikato, New Zealand on video production and experimental video practice. Her own art practice explores communication of ethereal and cosmological concepts inherent in a Maori world-view, from a female perspective. She is completing a PHD by part creative practice and has published on Maori and digital media.

Maree's page

Kath Purchas

Exhibition Designer

(06) 871 5095

kathp@hdc.govt.nz

Kath Purchas has been with the Hastings City Art Gallery since June 2007. Her role at the gallery includes exhibition design, graphic design, exhibition management and curation.

Previously Kath has worked at a number of museums, including Te Papa, The Auckland War Memorial Museum and the San Francisco Fine Arts Museums (The De Young and Legion of Honor).

Kath has also tutored in the Visual Arts Department at the Eastern Institute of Technology. She holds a Bachelor of Design (Industrial) and a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) from Victoria University.

"I enjoy developing a unified aesthetic for each exhibition through spatial and graphic design that visually expresses the curatorial intent."

Kath's page

Tricia Johnson

Administrator/Arts Liason Officer

(06) 871 5095

triciaj@hdc.govt.nz

Working in the Hastings City Art Gallery gives me the opportunity to share the knowledge I already have, express my creativity and expand on my capabilities. I am excited and extremely motivated in continuing to bring Hawkes Bay a gallery of exceptional standards. I look forward to meeting with you, liaising with the artists and community and viewing all the exquisite work that Hawkes Bay and New Zealand has to offer while retaining our cultural roots and working with the community. I look forward to bringing my personal views to the gallery and would love to see the gallery incorporate fashion and textile art.

I have a lot to learn and I welcome any input that you offer, and I will endeavour to assist the already brilliant team here in the delivery of fine art, design and creativity that the community will embrace and be proud of.

I look forward to seeing you.

Tricia's page

TeAroha Tauroa

Visitor Services/Retail Assistant

(06) 871 5095 tearohat@hdc.govt.nz

He toi whakairo, he mana tangata. Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity.

As a recent addition to the Hastings City Art Gallery team I look forward to welcoming visitors to future exhibitions.

I am passionate about indigenous art. Previously I have been in roles where I was able to inspire public understanding or discovery of the deeper meaning behind contemporary Māori art helping to realise the importance of our Māori worldview and/or point of view. In my current role I hope to continue to contribute to the continuing excellence of the Hastings City Art Gallery.

In 2008 I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Māori Art, Majoring in painting from Te Wananga o Aotearoa. With my art practice I seek new expressions of traditional ideas relating to my kaupapa or theme. I am currently using wood and paint to create sculptural or domestic forms that focus on issues relating to family.

Stacy Gordine

Technician

(06) 871 5095 stacyg@hdc.govt.nz

Stacy Gordine is an internationally renowned carver who works mainly in wood, bone, silver and pounamu. His work is exhibited around New Zealand and prominently at Vancouver’s legendary Spirit Wrestler Gallery.

Stacy joined the Hastings City Art team as Technician in a part-time capacity in July 2012. He thrives on the challenges of exhibition preparation and installation, ensuring that artworks are shown in the best possible light – both literally and figuratively!

Having been a practicing artist based in Hawke’s Bay for almost twenty five years, including early study in Visual Art and Design at EIT, Stacy has had a natural transition from HCAG regular and exhibitor to team member.

Stacy looks forward to working with exhibiting artists to bring together increasingly exciting and engaging shows in the future.

Rachel Juno

Graphic Designer

(06) 871 5095 rachelj@hdc.govt.nz

Rachel is a graphic designer with around 10 years experience working in Wellington, the UK and locally. She joined the Hastings City Art Gallery team in August 2012 and is responsible for creating a wide range of marketing and exhibition collateral to promote our programme.

Rachel balances her part-time role here at the gallery with freelance design work. Rachel's company Flourish Creative is based in Napier and works with businesses to develop fantastic branding and design solutions.

She comments that getting to work in the arts is a dream for a graphic designer, and is relishing the challenges of her position here at HCAG.

ARTS ADVISORY BOARD

Roy Dunningham

Writer/Teacher/Curator (06) 877 8409 artful@clear.net.nz

* Graduated in Painting. Canterbury University School of Fine Arts. 1958 * 20 years Head of Art at Havelock North High School * Curated shows for Cultural Trust and Hastings Community Arts Centre. * Mural and glass designs in Hastings and Napier buildings * Consultation work for Opus International and Hastings District Council * Aquisitions committee HBAGM 1980s * Art reviewer for newspapers and magazines for over 30 years. * Lectures and workshops on art for various adult groups

Cynthia Bowers

Deputy Mayor/Hastings District Councillor 06 8734288 cynthia@actionwoman.co.nz

Cynthia is Deputy Mayor of Hastings District Council and chairman of Council’s Community Services Committee. She works closely with Hastings City Marketing, Hastings District Landmarks Trust and Creative Hastings, where she had been chairman. She is also a former chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Cultural Trust and is currently a director of Hawke’s Bay Opera House Ltd.

Cynthia has a strong vision for the role that the arts play in the community and was one of the drivers of the commissioning of public art in the Hastings City centre. Her vision for the Hastings City Art Gallery is that it will be a cornerstone of a cultural precinct in the Hastings CBD, together with the Opera House, Community Arts Centre and the public art display. She looks forward to the creation of a vibrant precinct - a place that will attract both locals and visitors.

Judith Anderson

Havelock North

PH: 8771616

Now retired from running her own art gallery for 25 years, Judith is an art advisor, valuations expert and also conducts art tours.

Judith is well-known in the art world and her passion for the fine arts gives her the ability to look at a broader picture. She hopes this leads to the expansion of the gallery programme to benefit all our local people.

Ru Collin

Hastings District Councillor

027 474 2022

ru@hdcnz.com

Councillor for Hastings District Council’s Heretaunga Ward, Ru is in his first term. Ru chairs the HDC Policy & Strategy committee and is formally involved with Landmarks, Audit & Risk, Rural Halls, Clifton Reserve and a number of working committees. This wide array of interests is capped off with his involvement with the Hastings City Art Gallery.

He feels that the balance between economic, environmental, social and cultural elements is necessary for improving community well-being. Through arts and the art gallery, the cultural element can be expressed in a manner that can touch and inspire everybody in the community.

Patrick Tyman - former advisory board member (2008 - 2012)

Patrick Tyman lives in Napier and is Head of Art at Iona College, Havelock North. He emigrated to New Zealand from England in 1996.

A painter, printmaker and lecturer in Art History, he has exhibited widely over the past years at: The Royal Society of Oil Painters, The National Print Exhibition, The Medici Gallery, and The Mall Galleries, in London: John Davies Fine Art, Art in Action (3 times), Laing Landscape Exhibition, The Royal Overseas. He continues to exhibit in New Zealand (Tamerillo Gallery, Wellington; Hawkes Bay Review; Hawkes bay Invitational) and his screen print "Ranthambor" was hung at the Norsewear Award (2006) and the screen print "Nature as Designer" at the 2007 Norsewear Award. “Unity with variety was a finalist for the 2008 Wallace awards.

Initially he lived in the more remote areas of India amid a post colonial life. The tropical landscape, lush colour, life style and the exoticism of India left a lasting impression on him, seen so lucidly in the decorative impact, bold painterly effects, and intense blazing colour which make his art.

After completing his formative education at Lushington (later called Hebron) in the Southern Indian hill station of Ooty and his further education in England at: Dover College, Medway College of Art and Design, Kingston University, and Brighton University, he gained experience in teaching art and design at secondary schools in England, and he continues to do so here in New Zealand.

Recent achievements:

In 2008 Patrick completed a Masters in Education (Med) and in 2009 his paintng "Unity with Variety II" was selected as a finalist in the Wallace art awards.

Bruce Martin - former advisory board member (2008 - 2011)

Bruce Martin is one of New Zealand's pioneer potters, establishing Kamaka Pottery with his wife Estelle in 1965. Bruce and Estelle travelled extensively in Japan in 1978 and in 1980 built a large traditional Japanese anagama kiln at their property near Bridge Pa. Their work explores the surface effects of natural ash glazes on traditional and modern forms. Bruce is especially known for his hand-built slab ikebana flower containers. He has exhibited widely in New Zealand and Japan, and is represented in many galleries and private collections. Now retired, Bruce still sells work from his studio in Valentine Road, maintains his 4 hectare garden and retains an active interest and involvement in the arts, architecture, and music.