Funding partnership boost for Whanganui Regional Museum

Dr Bronwyn Labrum with the interactive arapaki panel outside the Whanganui Regional Museum. Photo / Karen Hughes

Whanganui Regional Museum has been named the newest partner of the Blumhardt Fund.

The fund is awarded by the Blumhardt Foundation to support New Zealand public art galleries and museums in their acquisition of work by contemporary New Zealand craft practitioners.

Whanganui Regional Museum director Dr Bronwyn Labrum said the museum was grateful for the opportunity to further Dame Doreen Blumhardt's vision.

"With the help of the foundation, the vibrancy of the local craft community will be represented in ways that connect to our existing collections and to local iwi and their stories," Labrum said.

"It will allow the museum to broaden its focus to encompass contemporary collecting, as well as honouring those who came before us."

The Blumhardt Foundation was established in 2003 in the name of founder Dame Doreen Blumhardt ONZ, DNZM, CBE to use her collection and estate to further the collection and development of New Zealand craft and object art, including studio ceramics, glass, jewellery, metal, fibre work and other craft practices.

Over a four-year period, the fund provides a dollar-for-dollar subsidy to enable participating art museums to acquire works made by outstanding contemporary New Zealand craft practitioners. It aims to enhance New Zealanders' access to the work of contemporary makers, and to support the practice of those makers through public art galleries and museums.

The announcement was an endorsement of the museum's current Taonga Māori collection and its intention towards developing the collection of contemporary Māori artistry, Labrum said.

The museum joins the ranks of other fund recipients such as Dowse Art Museum, Otago Museum and Suter Art Gallery in Nelson.

The announcement comes as the museum, along with other Whanganui cultural venues, is seeing visitor numbers climbing back towards pre-Covid levels.

The Whanganui District Council property and community services committee this week heard reports on 2022 activities for the museum, Royal Whanganui Opera House, Sarjeant Gallery, War Memorial Centre, Cooks Gardens and district libraries.

Events and education and art workshops celebrating Puanga/Matariki had been especially well attended in June.

Labrum reported the museum had recorded 6418 visitors in the two months to the end of June.

The opening of the He Awa Ora - Living River exhibition at the museum had boosted visitor numbers and was continuing to attract a lot of interest as well as online traffic to the companion website.

The interactive arapaki board installed outside the museum in late June had also been attracting visitors.

Sarjeant Gallery director Greg Anderson said there had been 10,226 visitors (including 3561 website visits) in the two-month period and reported that education activities were back up and running with a number of well-attended events.

Anderson said the opening of four exhibitions during the period had also attracted a lot of visitors and Whanganui artist Tia Ranginui's Tua o Tāwauwau/Away with the Fairies exhibition had attracted high numbers for the opening and floor talk.

All the venue directors reported increased numbers although district library manager, Pete Gray said a number of regular users were yet to return and staff hoped to see more of them soon.