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Item A history of collection development at the Suter Art Gallery, Nelson, 1896-1997 : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Museum Studies at Massey University(Massey University, 1997) Taylor, Judith M.The dissertation outlines the history of the collection at the Suter Art Gallery and traces patterns of collecting and collection growth there. The broader New Zealand historical, sociological and museological context of the collection is considered and discussed with reference to literature on collecting in other New Zealand institutions. The influence of shifting cultural fields and their effect on collecting at the Suter Art Gallery is considered. Reassessment of the collection and changes in collecting practices at the Gallery are examined with reference to specific events and influences. The extent to which the collection is representative of the growth and development of the arts and artistic production in the Nelson Region is discussed. Unique characteristics of the collection are identified and discussed. Possible directions for the future of collecting at the Gallery are outlined.Item 'Teaching without teaching' : critically exploring the involvement of visual artists in children's art classes in art museums of New Zealand : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Fine Arts, College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2022) Xu, ChangScholars in New Zealand have investigated museum education particularly in terms of young children’s visiting and learning, primary and intermediate students’ learning development, museum educators’ practice and challenges, and the policies, practices, and public pedagogy of visual art in art museum and gallery contexts. These scholars have indicated the importance of artists’ engagement in children’s art classes in art museums broadly speaking, but the specific investigation around this specific aspect was scant. This research aims to attend to this gap by exploring the engagement of visual artists in children’s art classes in art museums. The research acknowledges my position and background as a trained artist and teacher, and the roles I take on throughout the project also reflect this training and practice-based background. This study (including data collection and analysis, the conceptual development and iterative design process, and the forms of literature drawn upon) brings hybrid methodologies and references that span disciplines, including Participatory Action Research, Grounded Theory, Double Diamond design process, and a Co-design Approach. 24 interviews were conducted with visual artists and two workshops were developed with three different roles, including 6 artists, 3 museum educators, and 6 primary school teachers in two different art museums. The findings indicate a broadly effective collaboration between artists, museum educators, and primary school teachers with respect to complementing professional development, shifting to student-centred learning, expanding the forms of art activities based on students’ interests, developing a multisensory learning experience, and drawing theory from their practices. This research contributes to the field of museum education by developing a new form of collaboration between three different roles — artists, museum educators, and primary school teachers — in art museums, and conducting a collaborative reflection between these roles. This collaboration prototype becomes a way to effectively engage artists within children’s art museum education, and its benefits and impact can be documented and specified in various respects.Item The curator-as-accomplice : a self-reflexive and exhibition history study of contemporary art curation in Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Fine Arts, Massey University Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand(Massey University, 2022) Phillips, BruceThis thesis contributes a new description of curating termed the curator-as-accomplice which is derived from and tested against examples of contemporary art curatorial practice situated in Aotearoa New Zealand. The ‘curator-as-accomplice’ is defined as a mode of creative and co- operative practice that resists the tendency to centralise curating by working complicitly alongside others to support their unrealised potential. The notion of ‘accomplice’, in association with curating, has received scholarship by Valentina Desideri and Stefano Harney but has not previously been developed into a conceptual framework applied to practice. By addressing this gap, this research provides an original contribution to knowledge via a self-reflexive approach analysing four exhibitions together with related exhibition history research surveying exhibitions within Aotearoa (1970–2020). Given the specific focus on practice situated within Aotearoa, this research has additional significance with regard to how to how the curator-as-accomplice performs both within a post-imperial, colonial context and in relation to Pākehā (New Zealand European) bias.Item Māori curatorship at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki 1998-2001 : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Museum Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2006) White, Anna-MarieThis thesis documents the experience of Ngāhiraka Mason, the first appointee to the Māori curatorial position at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. It examines the development of her curatorial practice with specific focus on contemporary Māori art. The purpose of the thesis is to describe the conditions and relationships which influence Ngāhiraka's practice as a Māori curator. The thesis identifies the Māori curatorial position as an important development in the Gallery's relationship with Māori. In order to understand its significance, a history of Māori representation at the Gallery is constructed. Based on acquisition, exhibition and archival data, recurring patterns of racial prejudice and discrimination against Māori are revealed. The thesis then investigates the events which gave rise to the position in order to understand the Gallery's motives and present the complex environment in which the Māori curator practises. Ngāhiraka's personal narrative is at the heart of the thesis, a narrative that chronicles the cultural and educational experiences that brought her to the Gallery. Ngāhiraka then describes the conditions and expectations she encountered and the conflict between Curator and Kaitiaki as models of practice. The development of her first Māori art exhibition Pūrangiaho: Seeing Clearly (2001) is analysed to provide evidence of her agency within the site. The exhibition is then deconstructed as an expression of Māori identity and its impact is evaluated from several perspectives. The thesis contends that the Gallery exerts a level of influence that compromises Ngāhiraka's ability to effectively represent Māori. It is argued that the art museum is threatened by the practice of Māori values. The Māori curator then, carries a different kaupapa (framework) which inevitably challenges the balance of power at the Gallery. There is however, a level of intransigence in the art museum that cannot be affected by the incursions of a single Māori employee. The thesis concludes that Ngāhiraka's practice primarily advantages the Gallery and is of limited benefit to Māori. Despite this, Ngāhiraka takes what opportunity is afforded to her and issues a wero (challenge) to contemporary Māori artists. She postulates a new criterion upon which they should be judged which involves making a positive contribution to the viability of Māori at a social level. In doing so, Ngāhiraka engages her practice with Māori-self-determination and becomes an activist against institutional racism.Item "Fly by the seat of your pants": building resilience through collective narrative at the Christchurch Art Gallery 2006-2013 : a thesis presented in fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Museum Studies at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2014) Bugden, EmmaThis thesis demonstrates a changing relationship between an art institution and artists, and an art institution and its public, at a time when institutions seek to engage their constituents through new forms. My work charts a single change narrative, that of the Christchurch Art Gallery, focusing on the period 2006–2013. My research asks, how has a change in the institution’s sense of self-indentity altered its relationship with artists and audience? I have drawn on organisational management literature to understand this research, framed within the conceptual foundation of Pierre Bourdieu’s three major themes, habitus, field and capital (Brourdieu, 1986; 1990). The research examines two major periods of development at the Gallery, the 2006 Paradigm Shift change management process and the Canterbury earthquakes (2010–2011). These periods of organisational upheaval are understood through the study of publicly available articles and documents, internal documents and interviews with selected staff. This case study concludes that Gallery staff have exposed the back room operations of the institution to the public in new ways. In doing so, they have also opened up their own lives to audiences, offering a more personalised experience. In addition, their approach to working with artists has changed significantly, creating working connections that are more informal and collaborative. Boundaries have also broken down between staff, due partly to the leveling effect of a natural disaster, and the resulting changes to workplace layouts and systems. While both periods of change have been pivotal to the institution’s change, to a significant extent the strategies and actions deployed by the institution during the later period are the result of practices developed in the first. In particular, this thesis argues that powerful collective narratives (Reissner, 2008) were developed through the leadership of key institutional entrepreneurs (Fligstein, 1997). These leaders brought individual habitus coupled with cultural and symbolic capital (Bourdieu, 1990), enabling the Gallery to articulate its identity as informal, adaptive and outwardly focused. Following the Paradigm Shift change process, the earthquakes have contributed to the intensification of staff culture. While these shifts in practice reflect the direct experiences of the institution, they also express a changing dynamic within museum practice around the world. Therefore, this thesis contends, the Paradigm Shift was an important catalyst for the institution, providing the Gallery with an internal and external narrative of resilience.Item Exploring transactions : art museums, access and the Web : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Museum Studies at Massey University(Massey University, 2000) Barnicoat, WallisThis thesis examines the way in which art museums develop and use Web sites to promote greater access to their resources. It does this by considering the type of transactions that occur between the museum and its visitors in the physical and virtual location. The thesis is based on an investigation of three San Francisco Bay Area art museums, (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art). The thesis illustrates the attempts of art museums to adopt innovative approaches to the provision of access through the virtual environment of the World Wide Web. The thesis concludes that art museums are unsure of their place in the technological foundations of the Internet. Furthermore, museums are unclear in their vision of the purpose of virtual environments. Unlike the world of education, which is familiar with the theory and practice of distance learning, and the world of private enterprise, which focuses, increasingly, on e-commerce, museums lack a singular, clear vision of how best to adapt the user-centric foundation of the Web to provide greater access to their resources. Not until art museums successfully evaluate the needs of their virtual visitors and create a transactional base that caters to those needs, will museums find their place in the Information Age.Item The language of living : developing intelligent novices at the Suter Art Gallery : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Philosophy in Museum Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2010) McNaughton, Esther HelenThis research was founded in Bruer’s (1993, p.15) concept of the intelligent novice, considering students visiting an art gallery could be so described. He defines intelligent novices as “people who learn new fields and solve novel problems more expertly than most, regardless of how much domain-specific knowledge they possess. Among other things, intelligent novices seem to control and monitor their thought processes”. Peckham’s (1965) ‘cognitive dissonance’ is related, describing how some novice learners respond in cognitively threatening situations. These theories are augmented by Efland’s (2002) exploration into art and cognition, in particular, the concepts of ‘ill-structured cognitive domains’ and ‘cognitive flexibility’. Drawing on and reconceptualising these theories, this research addresses how the art gallery environment helps students become intelligent novices. The case study focuses on the researcher’s education programmes located at The Suter, Te Aratoi a Whakatu, Nelson, New Zealand’s oldest public art gallery, established in 1898. This crossdisciplinary research bridges education and museum studies, and is action-based using mixedmethods. Through a process of journaling, observating, discussing, dialoguing, audio and video recording, as well as collecting and analysing documents including students’ work, the researcher considered how young students develop as intelligent novices. She found that their learning in the art gallery was enhanced by three interrelated factors: the individual’s agency, physical aspects of the art gallery, and the community of practice which developed around class visits, each essential to the development of the intelligent novice. A framework was developed to support art museum educators in facilitating these attributes. The thesis suggests that: Intelligent novices independently make effective connections between prior learning and novel situations; Within the art gallery as an ill-structured domain, the art gallery educator works with communities of practice to support development of intelligent novices; Repeat gallery visits enable students and communities of practice to practise particular strategies in order to develop as intelligent novices. Intelligent novices flourish when all members of the communities of practice demonstrate such characteristics. It concludes that, due to the ‘ill-structured’ nature of the art gallery environment, and its cultural role in society, the role of the intelligent novice is as active cultural transformer.Item Going public : New Zealand art museums in the 1970s : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Museum Studies at Massey University(Massey University. School of Maori Studies, 1999) McCredie, AtholThis thesis examines the reputation the 1970s have as a renaissance era for New Zealand public art galleries.It does this by considering the formation and development of galleries in the period as well as their approaches. Public and community involvement, energy, innovation, activism, and engagement with contemporary New Zealand art are key areas of approach investigated since increases in each are associated with galleries in the seventies.The notion of a renaissance is also particularly associated with provincial galleries. In order to examine this idea in detail three "provincial" galleries are taken as case studies. They are the (then named) Dowse Art Gallery, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Manawatu Art Gallery.The seventies are revealed as a "culture change" era for public art galleries in New Zealand. New ones were founded, many were rebuilt or substantially altered, and there was a shift from the rule of the amateur to that of the professional. The majority of existing galleries went from being static institutions with few staff, neglected collections, and unchanging exhibitions, to become much more publicly oriented and professionally run operations. Moreover, while change occurred across nearly all institutions, it tended to be led from the provinces.Several reasons are suggested for the forward-looking nature of the three case study galleries. One is that they reflected the energy and flexibility that goes with new, small organisations. Another is that all three existed in cities with little appreciation of art and culture and so had to strenuously prove themselves to gain community acceptance and civic support.Other galleries, particularly the metropolitans, are shown to have followed the lead of the progressive focus institutions. Influencing factors on changes in all New Zealand galleries are therefore also sought. They include the growth in new, well educated, sophisticated, and internationally-aware audiences; greater production and public awareness of New Zealand art; interest in exploring a New Zealand identity; world-wide revolutionary social changes in the '60s and '70s; and increased government funding for building projects.The changes that took place in New Zealand art galleries in the 1970s are shown to sit within the wider contexts of increasing trends towards public orientation by museums internationally, both before and during the decade, and in New Zealand since the seventies. However, the very notion of public orientation is also suggested to be historically relative and, ultimately, politically driven.Item The Immaculate Perception project : exhibition creation and reception in a New Zealand regional art museum : thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Museum Studies, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University. School of Maori Studies, 2003) Hansen, PaulInternationally, museums have increasingly come under review since Bourdieu's (1969) research focused on art gallery visiting patterns and cultural codes. Museums exist within a post-modern milieu that demands a more democratic approach to defining their cultural and educational role within society. Over the last decade in particular, art museums, criticised for being elitist and insular within their communities, have been challenged to be more inclusive, accessible and relevant to their local communities.The literature suggests that a review of the core mission and the culture of museums is required to provide the catalyst for change. However, there is little evidence or few models offered as to how such re-visioning could be implemented. New Zealand art museums have been slow in responding to the issues, or to conducting research involving either their visitors or their communities. These emergent issues provided the context for this study, which is focused on the creation and reception of a community based exhibition within a contemporary regional art museum.This exhibition project brought together community participants and established artists, and the study evaluates the responses of the exhibition creators and the exhibition audience. In line with action research methodology, evaluation surveys and observational data were collected during the distinct phases of the project and resulted in a number of findings that have implications for regional art museums.The findings from this present study indicate that curators working alongside the community with an action research methodology, while developing exhibition projects, can produce positive outcomes for the participants, the audience and the museum. Creative partnerships can be established that enhance life-long-learning opportunities and contribute to the relevance of museums within their communities.The present study also proposes that museums re-vision their mission to become 'learning organisations' (Senge, 1994, 2000) and provides a model that could be appropriate for museums intent on enriching their organisational culture and enhancing their significance and profile within their community.