Whangārei artists add own twist to local heritage buildings

Cecilia De Donatis' depiction of Jane Mander's home. Photo / Tania Whyte

From a hexagonal tower atop the family home overlooking the Hātea River, Jane Mander wrote her famous novels.

The home, called Pukenui, was built in 1906 in Hātea Drive and the observational tower, positioned on the roof of the house, became Jane's study.

Pukenui, along with numerous other historical Whangārei buildings, is depicted by local artists in Kiwi North's latest exhibition, Drawing Our Heritage.

The exhibition partners with Creative Northland to share local art inspired by our built heritage.

Kiwi North exhibitions curator Georgia Kerby with artist Ros May's tongue-in-cheek look at medicines based on Clements Chemist. Photo / Tania Whyte

Kiwi North exhibitions curator Georgia Kerby said she had selected a diverse range of 20 historical buildings dating back to 1890 that included colonial, Victorian, villas and industrial.

Thirteen local artists had chosen to depict the buildings using their various mediums such as ink, oil and acrylics, multimedia, photographic print, three-dimensional wood block, builders' paper and glitter.

Textures, colours, shapes, physical locations and personal histories have been reworked. Large prints of the original historic photographs of the selected buildings from Whangārei Museum's Collection are on display alongside the artwork.

"A lot of the artists said they don't usually draw buildings, but they liked the challenge."

Buildings on display include the Post and Telegraph Office, the power station, Harbour Board, Glorat – the Clarke Homestead, Reotahi Freezing Works, Clements Chemist, the City Council, Eccles Store and Bank St Crossroads, with some portrayed by two artists.

Most of the buildings are no longer around but Kerby believed about four of them were still standing.

Olivia Garelja's interpretation of the Clarke Homestead. Photo / Tania Whyte

"That was part of what interested us – acknowledging the heritage we've lost. Fair enough with the likes of fires but I feel like we've probably destroyed more than what we should have."

She said the exhibition had received a lot of positive feedback, generating many questions but also some local knowledge had come from it through visitors. As a result, she had researched and collated a booklet with the heritage of each building.

Artists on display are Hamish Oakley-Browne, Sally Spicer, Julia Newland, Ros May, Cecilia De Donatis, Judy Woods, Alex Moyse, Josh KiwiKiwi, Katy Davidson, Isaiah Rameka, Olivia Garelja, Murray Gibbs, and Jason Povey.

Two artists' versions of Jane Mander's home with the original at centre. Photo / Tania Whyte

Artists Kiwikiwi and De Donatis both depicted their own versions of the Mander home with De Donatis drawing inspiration from Mander's most successful novel The Story of a New Zealand River written in 1920, and Rae McGregor's biography of Jane Mander The Story of a New Zealand Writer (1998).

The Story of a New Zealand River is set in a Northland timber-milling settlement and was risqué in its day, touching on morals and the possibility of intellectual, sexual and emotional liberation for women. Consequently, it was put on a discretionary shelf in the Whangārei Public Library.

The Mander home in Hātea Drive.

In 1912, the Mander home was bought by Arthur Pickmere and, on his death, it was inherited by his son Hereward. The tower room was accessed by a steep ladder at the back of the house and then along a "duck walk" to the door of the tower.

Hereward had three small children who claimed it as their playroom. However, feeling it was unsafe, he had it removed and used as both a playroom and, later, a summer house in the garden where it remained for many years.

On his death, the Pickmere family donated it to the Whangārei Museum (Kiwi North) where it can still be visited outside the Clarke Homestead, along with Mander's memorabilia within.

Drawing Our Heritage is on display for three months in the Mim Ringer Gallery at Kiwi North from 10am-4pm until July 26, with the works for sale, along with some prints.

Kiwi North's latest exhibition Drawing Our Heritage partners with Creative Northland to share local art inspired by our built heritage. Photo / Tania Whyte