Yesterday while looking for an internet cafe I stumbled upon the National Portrait Museum. He was having a slow day and was quite a talker so we had a nice long chat on a variety of subjects. Arts funding in New Zealand, the importance of rugby to the national psyche, Te Papa's rigid "made in New Zealand only" policy, drunken kids on Courtenay St., the eternal Auckland vs. Wellington rivalry, and so on.
Interesting art there too. Have never been in a space solely devoted to portraits - two artists featured. One was Mary McIntyre, a woman who was a farmer's wife and took up painting later in life. Very interesting fantastical, absurd, dreamlike imagery. The other artist, Martin Ball does huge and very realist portraits. Being a friend and contemporary of the Finns, there was a recent one (gorgeous!) of a greying Neil Finn. Only one of the subjects I recognized, as they were all men well-known in NZ artistic circles.
http://www.portraitgallery.nzl.org/
This morning I finally went to Te Papa, and I can see what the fuss is all about. I can also see why the old gent at the portrait museum looked down his nose at them. Above all, Te Papa is about access and accessibility. So yes, there is a certain "theme park" mentality and their marketing team does well. My lovely Maori tour guide Lucy claims their financial situation is very good, enough that allowing permanent free admission not a problem. There is a strong emphasis on Maori culture, of course, but also inclusiveness of newer immigration, as seen in the "modern" Maori-style meeting house and an exhibit on refugees.
"Interactive" is the other buzz word here - as it is in every science centre we've been in, yes? Te Papa very much has that feel. Kid-centric areas on every floor and encouragement to touch everything. Except the capital-A art on top floors. As Lucy pointed out, big downside is that "parents these days do not control their children", so a big budget chunk is for maintenance and repair. The noise level is apparently painful during school breaks from staff's perspective.
Anyway, I'm about to go back in for another round at Te Papa. I was skeptical when I heard one could spend several days there, but I get it now. Something for everyone (I esp. dug the 2 NZ artists who went to Vienna's last Biennale) and there's a lot of rotation to keep content fresh.
As one of the staff put so eloquently, this is a young country that felt unbound by practices in other museums. They looked forward and asked what a "museum of the future" should look like, and this is what they came up with. Welcome to the future..
Take a look around http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/pages/default.aspx
Interesting art there too. Have never been in a space solely devoted to portraits - two artists featured. One was Mary McIntyre, a woman who was a farmer's wife and took up painting later in life. Very interesting fantastical, absurd, dreamlike imagery. The other artist, Martin Ball does huge and very realist portraits. Being a friend and contemporary of the Finns, there was a recent one (gorgeous!) of a greying Neil Finn. Only one of the subjects I recognized, as they were all men well-known in NZ artistic circles.
http://www.portraitgallery.nzl.org/
This morning I finally went to Te Papa, and I can see what the fuss is all about. I can also see why the old gent at the portrait museum looked down his nose at them. Above all, Te Papa is about access and accessibility. So yes, there is a certain "theme park" mentality and their marketing team does well. My lovely Maori tour guide Lucy claims their financial situation is very good, enough that allowing permanent free admission not a problem. There is a strong emphasis on Maori culture, of course, but also inclusiveness of newer immigration, as seen in the "modern" Maori-style meeting house and an exhibit on refugees.
"Interactive" is the other buzz word here - as it is in every science centre we've been in, yes? Te Papa very much has that feel. Kid-centric areas on every floor and encouragement to touch everything. Except the capital-A art on top floors. As Lucy pointed out, big downside is that "parents these days do not control their children", so a big budget chunk is for maintenance and repair. The noise level is apparently painful during school breaks from staff's perspective.
Anyway, I'm about to go back in for another round at Te Papa. I was skeptical when I heard one could spend several days there, but I get it now. Something for everyone (I esp. dug the 2 NZ artists who went to Vienna's last Biennale) and there's a lot of rotation to keep content fresh.
As one of the staff put so eloquently, this is a young country that felt unbound by practices in other museums. They looked forward and asked what a "museum of the future" should look like, and this is what they came up with. Welcome to the future..
Take a look around http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/pages/default.aspx
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