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Aratoi - Art Centre & MuseumAratoi Wairarapa's Museum of Art and HistoryARATOI opened early in 2002 and came about to meet the community need for a modern museum and art gallery building in Masterton. Background In the mid 1960s, a group of citizens purchased a Barbara Hepworth sculpture “Galliard – Forms of Movement”. The cost was 475 guineas and was purchased to stimulate public interest in the arts and act as the founding piece for a new arts centre with the vision that this work would give the institution an international perspective. Wairarapa Arts Centre The Wairarapa Arts Centre was built by the Masterton Trust Lands Trust and opened in 1969 at a time of increased professionalism in art museums throughout New Zealand. This facility served the community until the mid 1990’s when the need for an improvement became obvious. The Masterton District Council and community had been debating the need for a museum for a number of years. After consultation the Wairarapa Cultural Trust was formed in 1996 to administer a new museum and art gallery combined. The Wairarapa Cultural Trust inherited the collection of the former Wairarapa Arts Foundation which included paintings, prints, sculpture and taonga. A three-way agreement between the Masterton Trust Lands Trust, which funded the construction of Aratoi, the Masterton District Council, the major operational funder and the Wairarapa Cultural Trust, which acts as a service provider to the Council to fulfill aspects of the Council’s cultural policy. Masterton District Council The Masterton District Council mission is: “To celebrate, support and stimulate arts and culture as part of the everyday life of the Masterton District community”. The MDC aims to: ˇ
offer
wide-ranging opportunities for residents and visitors to increase their
participation in, and enjoyment of, artistic and cultural activities. ˇ
improve
understanding and respect the contribution of the many different cultural
traditions present in the district to the quality of its social life
celebrate the unique identity of the district, enhanced by particular
recognition of Wairarapa’s heritage and contemporary artistic and
cultural expression. Masterton
Trust Lands Trust Formed by the Masterton Trust Act in 1871 with its activities and operations governed by the Masterton Trust Lands Trust Act 1996. The Trust’s strategic goal is to support educational and cultural activities within the Masterton community. It does this from revenue generated from property owned in Masterton. Wairarapa
Cultural Trust The Cultural Trust’s Vision is “to celebrate the unique, natural, cultural and artistic heritage of Wairarapa in a dynamic environment, which will make use of all possible resources in creating partnerships to tell the stories of who we are, where we came from and where we might go.” Members
of the Cultural Trust Board are appointed by the three Wairarapa District
Councils, Ngati Kahungunu, Rangitane, the Masterton Trust Lands Trust, the
Tararua Foundation and the Friends of
Aratoi. The
Cultural Trust has developed partnerships with major funding bodies,
Tangata Whenua and the arts and heritage community to ensure that
Aratoi provides cultural facilities to enrich the community, in line
with district council policies. Resources The Masterton Trust Lands Trust raised the $3m of capital for the building and fit out. Contributors
were Masterton Licensing Charitable Trust, Tararua Foundation, Eastern and
Central Community Trust, Lottery Heritage, Juken Nissho Ltd and the
Ministry of Culture and Heritage Regional Museum Fund. The
ongoing operational costs are being met by the Masterton District Council.
Evaluation
Aratoi
is the store house of the Wairarapa’s important cultural material. The
building has been designed to meet modern museum standards and handle a
wide range of exhibitions and events. Aratoi opened to the public
on 9 February 2002 with seven exhibitions telling the stories of
Wairarapa’s cultural heritage. The
building was designed by Studio of Pacific Architecture and received a
2002 NZIA-Resene, New Zealand Award for Architecture in the Community and
Cultural category for Aratoi. The building’s features include:
ARATOI – Wairarapa’s museum of art and history was
entered in the 2001 NZIA Resene Awards for architecture –
Commercial/Community category. The judges for the Wellington Awards said of the
building: A ‘natural’ building whose external timber cladding
expresses a strong sculptural element, one fully at home in the Wairarapa
landscape. With a church
building and a supermarket car park as neighbours, an expressive language
has given the centre a life and expression beyond its pragmatic functions.
Innovative use of donated plywood products and fresh colours have
also invested a superior product with a strong personality. ARATOI was then a finalist in the NZIA-Resene New
Zealand Supreme Architecture Awards Community and Cultural Awards. ‘The
Wairarapa Museum of Art & History site has a complexity of adjoining
neighbours. It builds on the
rural town environment and develops a strong sense of belonging for
Masterton. The development of
the gallery spaces, work areas and entry combined with the changing scales
of internal spaces seduce the visitor into an enjoyment of the exhibition
areas. The neighbouring Wesley Church has been sensitively adapted
as an exhibition gallery and an inexpensive overlay enhances the tradition
of the space. A strong
contribution to the building of a rural town’. The Masterton District Council's Communications Officer, Marlene Ditchfield and Aratoi's Director, Richard Arlidge produced the following report when the complex opened in February 2002. Note: You will require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this file Opening hours: 10am - 4.30pm every day. Closed Xmas day and Good Friday. Arrangements may be made for visits outside these hours. Phone 06 370 0001. |
