Since May 6, 1983, when the gallery was first opened by then Waitaki MP and Lands Minister Jonathan Elworthy, the Forrester Gallery has presented more than 700 exhibitions and welcomed thousands of visitors through its doors.
Sione Tuívailala Monū and Edith Amituanai — Toloa Tales; Sara McIntyre: Kākahi to Kākanui; He Mahi Kei te Haere — A Work in Progess: Forrester Gallery Through the Years, and Kids’ Stuff in the Community Gallery will be the last exhibitions in the building as it stands.
Visual arts curator Anna McLean said this year they would set out to make the collection more visible and accessible to the community.
"We endeavour to highlight and acknowledge artists and voices within our rohe [district/region] that may be missing, which is all part of the nature of a regional collection as time evolves, so too does our collection of over 2500 taoka," she said.
Work during the closure will include installing new exhibition lighting tracks and lights, transferring collection shelving and artworks into a new climate-controlled collection store, painting, and establishing the education and reception spaces and exhibition installation.
The work will be done by gallery staff, council facilities staff and contractors.
Miss McLean said the collection reflected a passionate, vibrant and diverse Waitaki community.
"Contemporary works explore the mundane aspects of everyday life in Aotearoa New Zealand, while others capture significant events in our nation’s history. We house 618 architectural drawings from the Forrester and Lemon, later Forrester and Steenson era, donated by HK Steenson in 1984."
A substantional collection of works by "cherished" local artists Colin Wheeler and Hubert Struvk, and photographs by former Oamaru Mail photographer Anthony McKee demonstrate manual labour in local industries here in Oamaru, Miss McLean said.
"The gallery is also lucky to have 19 works by celebrated Timaru-born artist Colin McCahon," she said.
By the middle of the year, the Forrester Gallery will open with a new education space, collection store and modern main gallery space.
Waitaki District Council arts, culture and libraries manager Chloe Searle said the "considerable external fundraising" to provide much-needed facilities would also cover lift access.
"I am delighted there will soon be lift access to all three floors of the Forrester Gallery. This makes our spaces accessible for visitors who require the use of a lift. It also makes things safer for staff when transporting artworks.
Four former staff, including former gallery director Warwick Smith, will be there today to help test the new lifts. They had carried artworks carefully up and down the wooden staircase for years, Ms Searle said.
