Art & creativity  |  20 Jun 2022

Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū has walked away from the prestigious Museums Australasia Multimedia and Publication Design Awards with an armful of awards.

The gallery’s book Bill Hammond: Across the Evening Sky, designed by Aaron Beehre, took out the top prize in the book/publications category of the awards. It also won Best in Show.

The book features more than 30 paintings from the renowned Canterbury artist and was described by the judges as an “exceptional production’’ where everything was “carefully considered and confidently executed’’.

The gallery was also highly commended in the same section for its book HELLZAPOPPIN’! The Art of Flying Nun.

Designed by Alec Bathgate, the book features original artwork and design, film, record covers, posters and photography from some of New Zealand’s favourite bands. Praising the book, the judges said the “really cool design works hard to make the content all the more interesting.’’

The awards for the gallery did not stop there. Te Puna Waiora: The Distinguished Weavers of Te Kāhui Whiritoi took out both the Exhibition Catalogue (Major) and Exhibition Branding Package awards.

Te Puna Waiora: The Distinguished Weavers of Te Kāhui Whiritoi opened at the art gallery in December 2021 and celebrated the art of Māori weaving. The exhibition was two years in the making and presented in partnership with Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa, with support from Toi Māori.

The exhibition catalogue was designed by Peter Bray. Judges said it appeared to be highly traditional on first glance but was “truly magical’’. The branding packaged was designed by Peter Bray and Jamie Richardson and was praised by the judges for its “stunning and sympathetic colour palette’’. 

“The Museums Australasia Multimedia and Publication Design Awards celebrate excellence and creativity in the museum and galleries sector and are always hotly contested. It was amazing to walk away with so many awards and I could not be more proud of the team,’’ says Christchurch Art Gallery director Blair Jackson.

“Our publications are a great way for us to engage people in the world of art and to share our collections, so we put a lot of effort into them. The fact that year after year we are recognised for our work in this regard is testimony to the team’s creativity and commitment to excellence,’’ Mr Jackson says.