UC honour for director’s fine art of influence

Former Christchurch Art Gallery Director Jenny Harper will receive an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Canterbury next month.

The distinguished art writer, academic and curator will be acknowledged by her alma mater at the College of Arts graduation ceremony on 19 December.

Former Christchurch Art Gallery Director Jenny Harper.

As then Gallery Director, Ms Harper faced her greatest challenge following the 2011 earthquakes.

The gallery building was closed for five years, forcing a rethink of the role of art in the city.

University Chancellor Dr John Wood says it is a “tribute to Ms Harper that she excelled in the face of this adversity”.

“The gallery completely rethought how it could operate, setting about offering more than 100 ‘Outer Spaces’ projects in various locations, as well as emphasising major collection and archiving projects, providing critical and scholarly material online and in printed form, and offering new levels of access to the city’s collections,” Dr Wood says.

Praising her contribution to the art world, Dr Wood points out that Ms Harper has been operating at the “highest echelons of the visual arts and museum sectors in Australasia for four decades”.

“Ms Harper is an academic and museum professional who has left an indelible mark on the New Zealand cultural and artistic landscape and whose legacy will continue well into the future,” he says.

In 2006, Ms Harper became an Adjunct Professor for the Ilam School of Fine Arts.

She was also the commissioner for New Zealand’s official presentations at the Venice Biennale in 2009, 2011 and 2013.

In 2011, Geraldine-born Ms Harper was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the arts.