Dowse Art Museum

Detail of a poupou by Rangi Hetet hanging in The Dowse Art Museum. One of a pair of poupou commissioned by the museum on their fifth anniversary in 1975. The poupou are carved wooden figures with inset pāua shell eyes. This figure represents Te Puni.

One of Paul Dibble's 'Swimmers in Space' in front of The Dowse Art Gallery

Dowse Art Museum

The Dowse Art Museum (sometimes styled as TheNewDowse) is a municipal art gallery of Hutt City in New Zealand.^[1]

Opening in 1971 in the Lower Hutt CBD,^[2] The Dowse occupies a stand-alone building adjacent to other municipal facilities. The building was completely remodeled in 2013.^[3]

History

The Dowse Art Museum is named after Mayor Percy and Mayoress Mary Dowse, both of whom had died prior to the museum opening. Percy Dowse served as the mayor of Hutt City from 1950 to 1970. A firm believer in the principle of having physical, social and cultural facilities in modern cities, he initiated a building phase in the city that saw the construction of landmark buildings such as the War Memorial Library, the Lower Hutt Town Hall, and the Ewen Bridge. His wife, Mary Dowse, was an ardent supporter of the arts. She championed the addition of an art gallery to the building spree. She teamed up with Elizabeth Harper from The Hutt Art Society, and the duo lobbied the City Council. They succeeded in their endeavor when, in 1963, the Council agreed to provide space for an art gallery. The gallery was housed in an extension of the War Memorial Library. Tragedy struck soon after. In 1964, Mary died in a road accident. The City Council made a unanimous decision to honor her by having the art gallery in a new building. The museum was only partially completed when its other patron, Percy, also died in 1970.^[4]

Directors

David Millar

David Pierre Millar was the founding direct, heading the museum 1971–1976. He set the direction of the institution, including buying ceramics and decorative arts.^[5][6][7][8]

Jim Barr

Jim Barr was director 1976–1981.^[5][8] Under his watch the Dowse's controversial work, Colin McCahon’s Wall of Death was acquired.^[9][10]

James Mack

James Mark was director 1981–1988.^[5][8]

Bob Maysmor

Bob Maysmor was director 1988–1998.^[5][8]

Tim Walker

Tim Walker was director 1998–2008. ^[5][8]

Cam McCracken

Cam McCracken was director 2008-2012, having had roles at Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts in Auckland and the Waikato Museum of Art and History.^[11] He left to become director of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.^[12]

Courtney Johnston

Courtney Johnston started as director 2012,^[13] after roles at the National Library of New Zealand and Boost New Media where she worked in communications and web roles.^[14]

Collection

The Museum's first collection comprised 70 paintings. The paintings, valued at over $8,000, were a gift from The Hutt Art Society. The painting remain in the museum's collection even today. More paintings were added to the collection, which allowed the museum to hold several exhibitions in the 1970s. In 1979, differences arose between the museum management and the Hutt Art Society, with the latter moving into their own gallery.

Holdings

Holdings include national figures such as Ralph Hotere, Colin McCahon, Don Peebles and Gordon Walters^[15] as well as locally connected, nationally significant, artists as Rangi Hetet,^[2] Rangimarie Hetet^[16] etc. There have been strong exhibitions of modern Maori and Pacific artists and issues.^[17][18] The Dowse has a bust of Carmen Rupe by Paul Rayner.^[19][20] and significant collections of jewelry by Alan Preston.^[21][22]

Significant exhibitions

• Casting Light - Ann Robinson - 1998^[23][24]
• Thrift to Fantasy - Rosemary McLeod - 2003^[25]
• Respect - Hip Hop Aotearoa - DLT, Upper Hutt Posse, Doug and Joella Wright, and Chris Graham, aka Science - 2003^[26][27]
• Fruits Tokyo Street Style - Shoichi Aoki - 2004^[28][29][30]

References

External links

• Main website
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