316 Montreal Street, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch, Other
Image Credit: Derek Smith and Maclean Barker Photographers
The striking Christchurch City Gallery houses a collection with a Canterbury focus. It features regularly changing exhibitions of international and New Zealand historical and contemporary art.
The design of the gallery, which opened in 2003, was the result of a competition won by the Buchan Group.
Liquefaction under the gallery caused by the 2011 earthquakes bent its foundations and the gallery’s floors were no longer level. Despite this, the Christchurch City Council moved in here straight after the Feb 2011 earthquakes ruined their other offices. Television images of a weary high-vis clad mayor Bob Parker providing updates at the Art Gallery's still impressive entrance became part of the earthquake experience for New Zealanders. Later, appropriate repairs were planned, and the building has been lifted, the foundations re-levelled, the base isolated and the façade and interiors repaired.
The Gallery reopened in December 2015. There are excellent updates including images of the basement being prepared complete with high tech 'base isolators' on the Gallery's website. Also on there you will find directions to the exhibitions the Gallery has been hosting against all odds at other Christchurch Venues.
The late Olivia Spencer Bower set up a Foundation bearing her name to give financial assistance to artists or sculptors showing promise. While not strictly an artist in residence scheme, preference is given to Canterbury artists and the Trustees encourage artists to donate one work from the period of their tenure or the following 12 months, to the Foundation with these works being held by the Christchurch Art Gallery on behalf of the Trustees.
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