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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
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 »
Ataata
Opening: 26/05/23 5:30 pm
Ataata (noun) shadow, reflection. Ataata is a reflection on the origins of whakairo and its journey through history, noting the inevitable changes incurred through the introduction of western tools and materials. Retelling the pūrākau of Ruatepupuke, the origin story of whakairo, Heremaia Barlow endeavours to continue this narrative by asking, where to from here? Influenced... Read more »
The Deal
Opening: 21/04/23 6:30 pm
Using upcycling methodology and sewing only by hand, David Roil established a subculture in 2004 becoming involved with the London Pacific Fashion Week. Over the years his men’s and women’s range have been shown at the Melbourne Fashion Festival in the Melbourne Museum for the Global Indigenous Runway. Growing up in Wellington in the 70s... Read more »
Lightscapes
Opening: 31/03/23 5:30 pm
An exhibition by Zoe Alford New work from local painter Zoe Alford of lightscapes around te Tairāwhiti including seascapes, beaches, farmland, a vineyard, Eastland Port, and the old Midway Surf-Lifesaving Club. Zoe is firmly attached to realism in her artwork, but a close look reveals almost abstract patterns: reflections in water, seas of grass, slumped... Read more »
COLOURS DELUXE: The Art Album of New Zealand Flora by Sarah and Edward Featon of Gisborne
Opening: 25/11/22 5:30 pm
COLOURS DELUXE celebrates the achievement of Sarah and Edward Featon of Gisborne, who in the 1880s undertook an ambitious project to describe and paint New Zealand’s flowering plants. Their work resulted in the publication of The Art Album of New Zealand Flora in 1889. This book was the first full colour art album printed and... Read more »
Places and Faces
Fred Foster found a way to make a dollar. Well pre-decimal pounds actually. His plan was to learn how to use a camera and make photographs. That accomplished he took his camera and his sale like charms to his neighbourhood. Knocking on the doors of homes, many newly built, he would talk the lady of... Read more »
There are no upcoming events at this time.
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!
