Museum and Art Gallery Redevelopment Announced

Image Courtesy Hawke's Bay Museum & Art Gallery Great news announced last night! The Napier City Council has launched a $17-million plan to redevelop the Hawke's Bay Museum and Art Gallery and this is what it will look like - I think anyone who knows the existing building will agree this is a HUGE improvement. The redevelopment will kick off in mid-2010 and director of the museum and gallery, Douglas Lloyd Jenkins says he is committed to retaining the history and character of the current building while introducing light and space, and making better use of existing areas. "Our exhibitions are innovative and extremely well-received and we have some of the best collections in New Zealand but a lack of space means we aren't always able to fulfil our potential," he says. "This project aims to re-package the outside to match the wealth of objects and projects outside." The redevelopment will make full use of the existing architectural features and it will add more storage, work space and archive rooms. A work by one of my favourite New Zealand artist, Sara Hughes will also run the length and height of the facade of the new building, creating a striking first impression for visitors. Sara's work at Christchurch Art Gallery last year had a real WOW factor and you can see that if you put her name into my blog's search box, above left. It goes without saying that the redeveloped building will be equally enlivened by her bright, bold expression. The Hawke's Bay Museum and Art Gallery has a rich history of cutting edge architecture. The first wing was designed by acclaimed Art Deco architect Louis Hay in the 1930s. The Century Theatre, which has become the cornerstone of culture and performance in Hawke's Bay, was designed in the 1970s by leading modernist architect, Guy Natusch; and the architect for the 2010 redevelopment is Richard Daniels of Opus International Consulting. Daniels was the lead architect on the Staples Rodway Building in Hastings and the new Hawke's Bay Regional Council offices in Napier. A project website has been set up and you can view redevelopment progress from today - August 8th - at http://www.forus.org.nz/. More information on Sara Hughes, who works with bold colour and repetitive pattern on a grand scale, can be found at http://www.sarahughes.co.nz/

Meet the People - 12

June 2008. Ajr.

Another in the series Meet the People - Ordinary and Extraordinary New Zealanders Doing Interesting Things - Larry and Joan Blume are new New Zealanders – two Americans who decided this country offered the perfect retreat from big city bustle – and as owners of the very delicious Master’s Lodge in Napier, they’ve lavished comfort and hospitality upon hundreds of guests since they bought the historic property in 2003. Larry, a successful international lawyer who spent most of his adult life in Washington DC, San Francisco and New York, met Joan, a successful New York dentist in NYC. They married at the beginning of the new millennium and came to New Zealand on holiday in 2002. A year later they were back after purchasing The Master’s Lodge – a beautiful residence designed in the famed ‘Australasian bungalow’ style in the late 1800s. It was later expanded and retro-fitted in Art Deco style in the 1930s by New Zealand architect, Louis Hay for the wealthy entrepreneur, Johann Gerhard Husheer, founder and director of the National Tobacco Company. Larry and Joan’s joint passion for food and wine is good news for their guests. Larry is a great cook and wine connoisseur and Joan is an avid pastry chef and chocolatier – a combination that can only mean good things for everyone - and not surprisingly they’ve received rave reviews from around the world. www.masterslodge.co.nz

Art Deco Favourite

National Tobacco Company Ltd. Ahuriri, Napier. June 2008. Ajr

The National Tobacco Company building in Ahuriri, Napier is everybody’s favourite example of Art Deco. Designed by architect Louis Hay and built in 1933, it is one of Napier’s most elaborately-detailed post-1931-earthquake buildings. It is seen by many as Hay’s tour de force for the way it combines elements from Art Nouveau, Art Deco and the Chicago School. Decorations on either side of the front door feature raupo (native bulrush) and roses and its brass banisters, ornate lamps, marble foyer and spectacular stained glass inner dome (featured here a few days ago – you’ll find it if you scroll down), combine to make it one of the most photographed buildings in Hawke’s Bay. I’m not going to confess to how many photos I took of it but I revisited it several times. www.hawkesbaynz.com

Art Deco Shopping

The Art Deco Shop, Napier. June 2008. Ajr

It’s virtually impossible to visit Napier and not be drawn in to the whole Art Deco thing; and to get the best overview, you really need to start at The Art Deco Shop – which fittingly reflects its Art Deco neighbours in its front window. It’s from here that a whole set of terrific Art Deco Walking Tours set off – bus or vintage car if you’d rather, guided or self-guided if you’d prefer. Over 23,000 people do the guided Art Deco walk each year, learning everything there is to know about the massive earthquake that shook the Hawke’s Bay in 1931, destroying the heart of Napier, damaging over 200 buildings in Hastings and killing 256 people. Within two years of that disaster, Napier and Hastings had been rebuilt in the distinctive Art Deco, Spanish Mission, Stripped Classical and Prairie style architecture that it is now so famous for. The Art Deco here is unique for its inclusion of Maori motifs and the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Chicago School in the work of local architect, Louis Hay. www.artdeconapier.com