Tairāwhiti Museum artists share insights in new public talk series

Furniture maker Andrew Ellmers (left) and photograhers John Pennington (middle) and Mike Spedding will talk about the creative process at a series of artist talks coming up at Tairawhiti Museum.

Over the course of a few weeks, two photographers and an artisan furniture maker will talk about their work and how they produce it at events organised for the public.

Mike Spedding and John Pennington have recently launched exhibitions at Tairāwhiti Museum, and Andrew Ellmers’ opening is scheduled for Friday, October 24.

Their talks have been organised by the Friends of Tairāwhiti Museum group that, with the backing of its members, supports the museum and its collections.

“Spring seemed like the perfect time to share with our friends – and other members of the public – the special insights these creators have to offer,” FoTM chair Kristine Walsh says.

“While they work in different media, all three speak of their connections to the community and the landscapes we share. So there’s lots to engage audiences, wherever their interests may lie.”

The trio of talks has been scheduled in order of the exhibition openings, so first off the rank is Spedding, whose show “To Oro o Te Whenua: Echoes Of The Land” opened in the White Gallery in late August and remains installed until November 9.

The space is a familiar one for the photographer who has worked as curator and director of Tairāwhiti Museum, as well as leading Wairoa Museum.

He also brings his interest as a heritage consultant into his depictions of the coastlines and bush of Tūranganui a Kiwa, “reminders of what we have got, what we have lost, and, what we are losing”.

Pennington’s seven-week installation “How The Light Gets In” opened in the Chrisp Gallery on September 20.

As a Wellingtonian, the photographer had a long-established body of work depicting communities and their people, a documentary approach he has applied in the three years since he relocated to Gisborne.

It’s a way, he says, of “sense making, orientation and discovery”.

“By its very nature, photography forces a photographer to observe closely ... to notice the mundane, the comical and the significant.”

The final talk will be given by Ellmers whose exhibition “The Art Of Finding Value” opens in the Main Gallery on October 24.

Though keen to be led by audience interest, he will discuss how he finds value in materials that have been cast aside and uses them to develop unique Arts and Crafts-inspired pieces.

“The native timbers I work with were treasured but, once saved, can be a gnarly resource to work with,” he says.

“Their ‘value’ is found in their repurposed use, and the natural beauty of the timber.”

All three talks will take place at 2pm on a Saturday with entry via the usual museum fees (free for locals, $5 for visitors). The schedule is:

• Saturday, October 4 (2pm), Mike Spedding;
• Saturday, October 18 ( 2pm), John Pennington;
• Saturday, November 8 (2pm), Andrew Ellmers.