Tauranga Art Gallery
From Tauranga Art Gallery
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[edit] Tauranga Art Gallery
The Tauranga Art Gallery (TAG) is the first public art gallery in Tauranga city, New Zealand. The Gallery is located on the corner of Wharf and Willow Streets in downtown Tauranga.
[edit] Governance
The TAG is governed by the Tauranga Art Gallery Trust (TAGT). The TAGT has charitable status with the New Zealand Inland Revenue Department. Operational support for the Gallery is provided by the Tauranga City Council (TCC). The TAGT is a Council Controlled Organisation yet remains an autonomous charitable trust.
[edit] The Building
The building was originally constructed in 1961 by the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ). The BNZ sold the building to the TAGT in 1999 with funds from the Tauranga District Council and Vanetta Miles Estate.
Further capital funding was available from the Ray (Urania) Macmillan estate and the Joy Owens Trust. The TAGT raised capital and operational funding from individuals, groups and trusts in the community.
In February 2003 the TAGT appointed Richard Arlidge as Director and in May 2003 engaged Mitchell and Stout Architects Ltd to undertake the design for the refurbishment of the BNZ into the TAG. In 2005 The TCC committed to becoming the primary operational funder of the Gallery.
In January 2006 the contract to refurbish the former BNZ building was awarded to Watts and Hughes Construction, Waikato/Bay of Plenty Ltd.
The building was completed in May 2007. The building provides 1,300 square metres of floor space, over two levels, with 700 square metres of exhibition space.
[edit] Collections
The TAG does not have an acquisitions budget but will accept gifts of art that are significant to the region and/or of national interest.
TAG holds a substantial collection of work by New Zealand artist Edward Bullmore (1933-78). Other gifts have included works by John Gully, Robin White, Betty Wishart and Barbree Gummer.
The TAG holds a small collection of original contemporary New Zealand prints by artists such as Nigel Brown, Michael Smither, Dick Frizzell, Jeffrey Harris, Barry Cleavin, June Ritchie, Marilyn Webb, Tom Burnett, Paul Chapman, Vanessa Reed, Stanley Palmer and Carole Shepherd.
[edit] Exhibitions
The TAG will show regular, changing exhibitions of historical, modern and contemporary art in various mediums, by national and international artists. The exhibitions are supported by comprehensive education and visitor programmes. The TAG will present a diverse programme of exhibitions and events, and aims to foster the development and interpretation of contemporary art by developing new audiences and new possibilities for artists within contemporary culture.
The Gallery will be open from Saturday 20 October 2007.