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Wyllie Cottage heritage restoration
Tairāwhiti Museum and Gisborne District Council have just begun the first phase of an exciting new project for Gisborne, the heritage restoration of Wyllie Cottage. Wyllie Cottage, built in 1872, was the first European building on the Taruheru side of the river. The cottage is named for its first owners Kate (née Halbert) and James Ralston... Read more »
Caring for Wyllie Cottage collections
I’m Megan, Collection Technician at Tairāwhiti Museum. I am responsible for processing all objects currently housed in Wyllie Cottage before the heritage restoration begins. With approximately two hundred and fifty objects made from materials as diverse as silk, wood, leather, iron and paper, from the size of a fountain pen to a double bed, and... Read more »
Kate Wyllie’s Māori New Testament
The history and conservation of a 6th edition Māori New Testament held in the Tairāwhiti Museum collection.
de-shingling Wyllie Cottage
The second phase of work on Wyllie Cottage has now begun. Tairāwhiti Museum staff completed the removal of all the objects from the cottage earlier this month, and the building has now been handed over to project contractors Bothwell Construction, to begin work on the restoration of the cottage proper. Spending much more time than... Read more »
A glimpse inside
An important part of undertaking a heritage conservation project – in addition to a comprehensive study of the physical building – is compiling as much photographic and archive evidence as possible to piece together the building’s history and help inform decision making. Since the Wyllie Cottage project got underway last year we’ve been poring through... Read more »
Cottage Congoleum considered
The removal of collection items from Wyllie Cottage has been completed, and work on the restoration of the building is now well underway. A total of 316 museum collection items including 35 large domestic items, framed works, and smaller items consisting of soft furnishings (textiles), clothing, ceramics, glassware, books, small framed works, children’s toys and... Read more »
Appealing objects – decorative arts at Tairāwhiti Museum
New to the Jack C Richards Decorative Arts Gallery: Chinese-style glass vessels by Alexander Lamont Workshops (Thailand); Japanese-influenced ceramics by New Zealand potter Aaron Scythe; decorative paintings by British/New Zealand artist Melanie Mills and three, early twentieth-century Japanese wedding robes.
Tracing the inhabitants of Wyllie Cottage
While the cottage is closed for renovation we have been researching the inhabitants, and have been surprised by the number of people who have lived there, albeit briefly. As is always the way though, our research has raised as many questions as answers, and we are hoping that some of the names in this blog... Read more »
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Wyllie Cottage heritage restoration
Tairāwhiti Museum and Gisborne District Council have just begun the first phase of an exciting new project for Gisborne, the heritage restoration of Wyllie Cottage. Wyllie Cottage, built in 1872, was the first European building on the Taruheru side of the river. The cottage is named for its first owners Kate (née Halbert) and James Ralston... Read more »
Caring for Wyllie Cottage collections
I’m Megan, Collection Technician at Tairāwhiti Museum. I am responsible for processing all objects currently housed in Wyllie Cottage before the heritage restoration begins. With approximately two hundred and fifty objects made from materials as diverse as silk, wood, leather, iron and paper, from the size of a fountain pen to a double bed, and... Read more »
Kate Wyllie’s Māori New Testament
The history and conservation of a 6th edition Māori New Testament held in the Tairāwhiti Museum collection.
What’s Happening at the Museum
Purapura Whetu – Michelle Hinekura Kerr
Opening: 30/09/23 10:00 am
“This exhibition is made up of woven sculptures that recall the ancestral stories of the whanau marama, the celestial family of light. Each piece is made from native fibre whilst using indigenous techniques and designs.” Multimedia artist Michelle Hinekura Kerr grew up in Uawa/Tolaga Bay and came from a family background of proficient kai raranga/weavers.... Read more »
Rima Tekau – Melanie Tahata
Opening: 22/09/23 5:30 pm
Rima Tekau is a sharing and expression of Whānaungatanga, of Toi Māori and most importantly, Aroha. Sharing this milestone in her creative life-path, multi-disciplinary artist Melanie Tahata has curated a solo exhibition of whānau archives alongside a selection of older and recent works. Tākina ko au, tākina ko koe Te Kura Māhukihuki Born and raised... Read more »
Wearable Art – Susan Holmes
Opening: 25/08/23 5:30 pm
These are sculptural one-off showpiece garments that tell the story of my life in Textile Art over half a century. At the age of 30 I had the great good luck to discover how to print designs on fabric. My friend and I were trying out potato prints with heat set dye and I got... Read more »
Dreamers – Louise Walsh & Jolene Douglas
Opening: 04/08/23 5:30 pm
Walsh’s new works follow life’s ebb and flow, ups and downs and her insecurities about her work. Each work stems from her first piece, The Beginning, its simple lines and colours, creating an overall pattern and base for other works. “These last few ‘Covid years’ have been hard for us all. Like many others, I... Read more »
Up The Coast
Opening: 30/06/23 5:30 pm
Up the coast. That’s where I’m from. Up the coast. That’s where I’m going. Up The Coast is an exhibition that looks at some of the lesser known images in the Tairāwhiti Museum photographic collection. The methods used to travel up the coast, from waka to coastal steamers, reflect the development of the area. Rivers... Read more »
We welcome ideas for new projects and exhibitions so if you have something in mind, please get in touch – we would love to hear from you!
