Irresistibly Desired

between the 1st—13th February and we will send a (anonymous) valentine to your love asking them to join us at the Ashburton Art Gallery on Sunday 14th February at 1.30pm for bubbly and chocolates and an artist’s talk by Jo Robertson. If both you and your love are present you will go into the Irresistibly Desired prize draw which contains all the essentials for romantics! This will be drawn at 3pm on Valentine’s Day - so all you romantics register your love now to be into win!

Italian Journey

Thursday 4th February 7.30pm

Tickets $25, Friends of the Gallery $23, Students $10

Available from the Ashburton Art Gallery

Take a tour through the world of Early Music, featuring works from the 17th and the 18th centuries by Legrenzi, Caldara, Durante, Carissimi, Sammartini, Vivaldi and Mancini. In association with the School of Music at the University of Canterbury.

Lois Johnston - voice, Wolfgang Kraemer - recorders, Kees Hilhorst -violin, Stephen Larsen - violin, Edith Salzmann - cello, Cheuky Chann - harpsichord, Jonathan Le Cocq - baroque guitar, lute.

Waitangi Weekend at the Ashburton Art Gallery
Multicultural Bite!

Presented by the Ashburton Safer Community Council & the Mid Canterbury New Comers Network
Sunday 7th February 11am - 3pm

Come on down and try fabulous bite sized portions of cultural cuisine while listening to a variety of musical talent!

Baring Square East, Ashburton (in front of the Ashburton Art Gallery). Contact Raewyn Barclay Ph 308 1395 or community@saferashburton.org.nz

Then join us for scones and tea at the Gallery at 2.30pm!

Floor Talk: Picturing Poetry

Sponsored by Te Tai Tamariki

Sunday 7th February 2.30pm

Dr Doreen Darnell & John McKenzie consider David Elliot’s unique visual interpretation of Margaret Mahy’s inimitable world. John McKenzie is Principal Lecturer in Children’s Literature at the University of Canterbury and Dr Doreen Darnell is a lecturer who has edited Talespinner, New Zealand’s only journal of research in children’s literature, for the past 15 years.

Champions: New Zealand Winners
Jessie Casson

Screenings of Documentary

Wednesday 28th January 4pm (45 minutes, free admission)

Wednesday 3rd February 4pm (45 minutes, free admission)

In Champions Jessie Casson celebrates many of New Zealand’s winners and local heroes with marvellous photographs. From an award-winning jam-maker to a rodeo cowboy and a ‘universe’-straddling drag queen, more than 40 individuals from the length and breadth of the country are brought together in a loving tribute to the unsung New Zealand achiever. Although rarely publicised outside of their home towns, each winner is testament to the passion and determination of the people of New Zealand.

The portraits are the fruit of Jessie Casson’s desire to capture the dedication, self-belief and good old kiwi ‘can-do’ attitude that make New Zealanders who they are.

“When I look at the portraits I feel a warm kinship with every one of them. And from doing the interviews I discovered that everybody has a story, it just needs to be searched for. I have a greater understanding of why people pour so much time and energy into something when the gain is not about money or wealth. I have realised it is about dedication and passion. It is about belief in oneself and a drive to do better and better that becomes integral to who you are as a person. In a world where consumerism and monetary success have a huge role, I now know that there is a lot to be learnt from the individual champion. I hope that my portraits and text do justice to the subjects”. Jessie Casson

The Making of the Word Witch: the poetic & illustrative magic of Margaret Mahy & David Elliot

An Ashburton Art Gallery Touring Exhibition Curated by Kathryn Mitchell

5th December 2009 - 14th March 2010

Opening, artists talk and book signings Saturday 5th December 1.30pm

When publisher Harper Collins agreed with me in 2007, the year after Margaret Mahy won the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Medal, that there should be a book bringing together her many achievements as a writer of verse, there was no question that first, it should be lavishly illustrated and second, that Dunedin’s David Elliot was absolutely the right artist for the task.

We were delighted when David, normally booked up by both New Zealand and international publishers for years ahead, accepted the challenge. The completed book, published in October 2009, is testament to our faith in his talent and professional skill but especially his imagination, perfectly complementing Margaret’s in its lightness of touch, originality, whimsicality, poignancy and humour. Each of the book’s sixty-six poems is illustrated, sometimes by a single telling image, other times by the storyboard approach matching the narrative of the poem. As with Margaret’s verse, the range of styles and emotions is impressive, from tender and teasing, to quirky and sometimes, quite dark.

An additional challenge was provided by the fact that many of Margaret’s verse texts, particularly the longer ones like Dashing Dog, Down the Back of the Chair and Bubble Trouble were already familiar to Mahy fans as classic children’s picture books. How would the artist find his own, different visual language for these familiar verses? How do you approach the text of award-winning picture books like A Summery Saturday Morning or 17 Kings and 42 Elephants and come up with something completely new and fresh?

This exhibition is a remarkably honest, ‘warts and all’ look at David’s path to the finished book, complete with its trials, tribulations, false starts and wrong turnings. Above all it is intended as a window into the magical world of imagination, a celebration of the creativity that, along with a good deal of hard work, lies behind a handsome book that will undoubtedly become a children’s classic. In this spirit Margaret has allowed the display of some of her earliest writings, in which the acclaimed Mahy magic is already clearly evident. The warmest thanks are due to her for this generous support. This exhibition will not only delight visitors, child and adult alike, but equally, encourage all of us to explore our own potential in images or words - or both.

Tessa Duder, Auckland, September 2009

David Elliot

The Ashburton Art Gallery supports the promotion of children’s literature in New Zealand as an integral part of educating and inspiring our youth. The core of the Ashburton Art Gallery’s collection is the work of award winning children’s book author and illustrator David Elliot. David Elliot was born and raised in Ashburton before moving to Christchurch to study a Diploma in Visual Arts at the University of Canterbury. After he graduated, David worked as a designer for a couple of years before travelling to Antarctica, through Asia and Europe, and onto Scotland where he became gatekeeper at Edinburgh Zoo. It was during this time that David became increasingly interested in writing and illustrating books for children. David has provided illustrations for numerous New Zealand children's books, including Janet Frame's only book for children, Mona Minim and the Smell of the Sun.

Margaret Mahy

Margaret Mahy is a former Children's Librarian at Christchurch City Libraries and is one of the world's best and most famous children's authors. Margaret Mahy was born in Whakatane in 1936, and wrote her first story at the age of seven. After graduating from Auckland University College and Canterbury University College, in 1955, with a BA, Margaret Mahy then attended the New Zealand Library School in Wellington, received her Librarian's diploma, and then went to work for the Petone Public Library. In 1967 she worked for the School Library Service in Christchurch. During this time she had stories published in the New Zealand School Journal. Margaret Mahy's first book to be published was A Lion in the Meadow in 1969. In 1976 Margaret Mahy was appointed Children's Librarian at Canterbury Public Library. In 1980 she became a fulltime writer and has gone on to win numerous awards for her books including The Carnegie Medal, the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Prime Minister’s Literacy Award.

Joy Cowley’s book Chicken Feathers (available from the Gallery for $17.95) beautifully illustrated by Ashburton born author and illustrator David Elliot has been nominated as a Finalist in the Junior Fiction section of the New Zealand Post Book Awards.