Location: Main Gallery, Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi — Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre

Whakatāne Community Members Select Works from the Wellington City Council Art Collection 

While this exhibition originates in the New Zealand capital, and our country's most significant civic art collection, it also has the hands, hearts, and minds of Whakatāne residents all over it. The idea began when our Whakatāne Museum director visited former colleagues in Wellington and enquired about showing works from the City Council's permanent collection—a brilliant survey of hundreds of paintings and objects going back to 1882. 
 
Instead of selecting pictures based on a curatorial approach, we decided to invite local art lovers and civic leaders to make their own choices. Teachers, business owners, artists, students, volunteers, and even Mayor Bonne answered our call to choose something meaningful, and then tell us why. The result reveals one of our country's most important civic collections, as well as thoughts, connections, and aesthetics that are purely of our community. 
 
Along with each work, you will find a short statement by the person who selected it as insight and rationale revealing why they chose what they did. Beyond the art and the text, you might also ask yourself what attracts you, provokes thought, reveals beauty, speaks to you in some way. 
 
The artistic statement is uniquely human—it is often the way we make sense of the world and explain ourselves to others. With this Capital Collection exhibition, our willing partners at Wellington City Council, and all of our local participants, we've tried to do just that. Surround yourself with some of New Zealand's most interesting art, and see how it explains our community and our world.  

Wellington City Council's Civic Art Collection

The Wellington City Council Art Collection began in 1882 and has grown into a civic collection of over 500 nationally significant works. In the 1960s, civic leaders decided to actively acquire art for use and display in city buildings, and sought out artists such as, Ralph Hotere, Fiona Hall, Peter McIntyre, Don Binney and Robin White. Their pictures and objects play an active part of Wellington City Council's culture, as almost all of the works remain on display within Council buildings around Civic Square. ​
 
Viewed as a diverse collection, the art reflects the many changes to people, places, and fashions over the past 134 years. When seen as an important social history lesson, the works offer a study in aesthetics, style, society, and the capital city's development. Whakatāne Museum is grateful to all the artists, Council officers, and creative people who have helped connect this collection and exhibition with our community.