As the Manager/Curator of the Invercargill Public Art Gallery, I have become quite accustomed to hearing misinformation about our move from Anderson House, the public art collection that we care for, and the future direction of the arts and cultural scene on a daily basis. Most of the time, both myself and the gallery staff brush these comments off and keep on keeping on…a decision largely based on knowing that we know the facts of the situation, and that we are doing all we can to move forward in a positive manner.
Lately however, it is becoming harder and harder to let these mistruths linger. So I would like to take the opportunity to clear some things up.
The decision for IPAG to leave Anderson House was neither kneejerk, or without consideration of how this decision would sit amongst the wider community. Before the closure at the beginning of 2014, IPAG was painfully aware of the house’s limitations and the very visible effects that these were having on the art collection. Built as a home, not a gallery, Anderson House has no climate control, causing a number of conservation issues and the store rooms, which included the attic, were bursting at the seams. Accessibility was an issue with the top floor of the house and the public bathrooms being off limits to those with mobility issues. Not to mention the constant challenge that having your main art gallery outside the city boundary brings. Change was desperately required, and indeed planning for this had begun, but none of us were anticipating what was around the corner.
Cue January 2014 and a failed seismic survey, and we were faced with one of the biggest decisions in the gallery’s history. Discussion and debate ensued over the next two years and under the guidance of our then Manager/Curator Stephen Davies, we focused on considering what was best, in the long term, for the public art collection of Invercargill. I know it’s not easy, but when you remove the emotional attachment that Anderson House and its beautiful surroundings have for a lot of people, and evaluate it purely on its merits to house a valuable art collection, its inadequacies become very clear. Lately we have had people suggest that the house could be upgraded during its earthquake strengthening to meet these requirements, and of course theoretically this is an option. Just look at Pah Homestead in Auckland or the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui. Doing this however would not address the need that has been illustrated both by the SoRDs committee and the ‘art in the heart’ consultation process which all call for an art gallery in the city centre.
The decision was made to leave Anderson House and move the collection into temporary storage in the CBD until a purpose built space is ready to house it permanently. Due to limited staffing and funding, this process is still ongoing. Currently 45% of our collection is housed at our temporary gallery in 5 Don Street, many of which are works on paper which are currently being un-framed, cleaned and pest checked. The remainder of the collection is still housed at Anderson House, of which about 35% is packed, awaiting the installation of our racking system into the Invercargill City Library and Archive. We hope to remove the last piece of work from Anderson House by the end of July 2018. I don’t know how this will feel as Anderson House has been our home since 1951, and is therefore an integral part of our history and story. We by no means want to forget that; this is just a new chapter.
As we await the outcome of the ICC Long Term Plan and the proposed Art Centre which may one day house us, we are dedicated to maintaining an active and engaging presence in the CBD. Our temporary gallery at 5 Don Street may be small, but it is staffed with people whose passion for what they do make its presence in the community huge. I must also stress that as members of Museums Aotearoa, their Code of Ethics informs all the decisions that we make. This document places collection care and public access to collections at the heart of museum/gallery work, and so do we, every day. If you have any questions about our collection, our shift from Anderson House to the CBD, or our future plans, we urge you to come and talk to us directly.
Sarah Brown
Manager/Curator
