Friends Details 

Membership form

Self Portrait Jahnavi Vandenbos of The Correspondence School. First Prize Year 12 Competition, 1998

Friends

The Friends of the Portrait Gallery are supporters, workers and contributors, or simply interested people.
Subscription & Membership form

Friends of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery - more about us

The Friends of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery was formed in April 1995. The emerging Portrait Gallery was creating such interest that the time was right to create this support group.
From its inception the Friends have provided practical help in many ways:

• researching people depicted in portraits
• assisting in mounting exhibitons
• catering on exhibition opening nights
• supervising the gallery during exhibitions

Between 1998 and 2002 the Friends ran an annual portrait painting competition for Year 12 (Form 6) students from throughout New Zealand. The competition was very popular with both art teachers and their students and was professionally judged. Three winners were brought to Wellington for the opening night of each exhibition and while in Wellington the prizewinners were taken to Te Papa (The Museum of New Zealand) to see art in other galleries, and were interviewed on radio and by the press. The media from the local districts of the prizewinners featured the students and their protraits in their news. The exhibitions were opened by a leading Wellingtonian, on one occasion the Governor General and on another the Prime Minister.

A change in NZ examination procedures to NZCA and resulting changes to the art curriculum caused the competion to be discontinued. However it is hoped that it may be possible to run something similar in the future to encourage young artists to experiment with portraiture in a medium of their choice.

Benefits of Membership

Members receive newsletters and invitations to all Portrait Gallery functions, exhibiton opening nights and lectures or seminars held in conjunction with an exhibition. Directors of National Portrait Galleries who have visited New Zealand to judge the biennial Adam Portrait Award have given most interesting lectures for us in conjunction with the Friends of Te Papa.
These include

• Dr Charles Saumarez Smith of the NPG, London,
• Dr Mark Pachter of the NPG of the USA, Washington, DC
• Dr Andrew Sayer of the Australian NPG, Canberra
• Mr James Holloway of the Scottish NPG

They have all expressed enthusiasm for the establishment of a Portrait Gallery in New Zealand. Last year Mr Sandy Nairn, the current Director of the NPG, London travelled to Wellington particularly to give a lecture in support of our Gallery.

Interesting fund-raising events have been held:

• an Antique Roadshow at Homewood, the home of the British High Commissioner
• a musical evening with noted contralto Patricia Payne
• a lecture on portraiture at Government House by well known portrait artist, Juliet Kac

For further information please contact:
Diana Morrison, telephone (NZ) (04) 471 1445
Ann Shires, telephone (04) 475 3040

Join the Friends of the Portrait Gallery
Subscription & Membership form

And for the Portrait Gallery Itself:
The Director:
Avenal McKinnon, Director
+64 (4) 472 8874
Mob: 0274 444 775

Email dir@nzportgal.org.nz

Turnbull House
11 Bowen Street
PO Box 17-096
Wellington 6147
New Zealand
Phone: +64 (4) 472 8874