Many ideas have come from these days and the group has now enlisted the help of experts in creating art and history centres to progress the project further.
It approached the Tararua District Council, owners of the site, to see if it could use the Old i-Site and library sites late in the year.
With the green light from the Tararua District Council the group firstly tapped into the expertise of Richard Arlidge from Punakaiki on the South Island's West Coast. He has had experience setting up art centres in other towns, the most prominent for Tararua people being Aratoi in Masterton.
He visited at the time of last year's Tararua Art Exhibition featuring the Czech Artist Martina Havlova, and after intense scrutiny he was very enthused by the idea of a cultural hub. He made a number of suggestions which the group has followed up.
Recently Sally Papps of Exhibition Design Build and Consultancy Ltd was invited to Woodville to give advice on how to meld history and art into one facility. She has had experience helping many towns.
She says: "My focus, based in Nelson New Zealand, lies with small museums that are run on a low staffing level or volunteer basis."
She adds on her website:
"From my experience in redeveloping Isel House I have extended my knowledge to other small museums and assisted with redevelopment and exhibition projects across the top of the South Island, West Coast and Canterbury.
"I have a clear understanding of how small museums function and the needs and demands these institutions face.
"I can give advice objectively on most aspects of museum governance, collection and display, and have a strong network of colleagues and contacts that can offer support and advice to call on where required. I place a high value on the small volunteer-based museums in our towns and hope to see them retain their own identity and build on their unique strengths.
"I am really keen to show people how to get the community involved and have some ownership and pride in their local cultural history."
The upshot of this was the plan to divide the old i-Site and library building into four quarters:
Lindauer - The Old Lindauer Replica Studio – to continue its present function;
Puketoi – The old i-Site building for an art-history gallery;
Ruahine – Half the old library – to display the work of local artists;
Tararua – The other half – to display art from beyond the Tararua.
Already the Woodville Group has got cracking, re-gibbing and painting internal walls, contracting to repaint the exterior of the old i-Site and it will soon be resurfacing the floor of the old library.
It has also forged an alliance with Hutt Art so that outside artists can display their art in the Tararua Room on a rotating basis just as Tararua artists have been exhibited in its studio over recent years.
This work has already cost more than $30,000 and now the group is looking to fund the next stage which is contracting with Sally Gibbs to design and price the total development of the complex.
Conscious that leading members of the group are ageing, it has started putting out feelers to create a trust comprising the Art/History Group, the Tararua District Council and iwi to ensure the project reaches completion.
They are convinced the new highway, Ngāti Kahungunu's multi-million dollar plan to develop a cultural centre across the road and the site's junction with all the main traffic routes gives it a really great chance of success.
In the meantime it is planning its Emerging Artist Exhibition set for March 6 at the racecourse.
