Teaching art for 25 years rewarding

After a quarter of a century at the easel, one of Dunedin’s more well-known art teachers is hanging up his paintbrush.

Dunedin Public Art Gallery educator John Neumegan, who taught his last regular class yesterday, said it had been a fun and rewarding career.

Over the years he had given multiple generations of primary school children tours around the gallery followed by practical art lessons.

Not many jobs gave as much freedom or were as stimulating, he said, quipping that when he started he could not believe that he was getting paid for it.

He always tried to find out what subjects and topics schools were studying and integrate them into the modules he taught the pupils.

The art gallery education programme had reached almost every primary school pupil in the city and surrounding region, giving them a sense of ownership over the gallery, which was a "pretty incredible" thing to have been a part of, Mr Neumegan said.

Some pupils came back and showed their parents around the gallery.

Others had decided they wanted to become artists, which was also very rewarding.

It had been a joy teaching at the art gallery, and he hailed the support of his colleges.

He was confident the programme was in good hands and was looking forward to reading, gardening, playing the piano and spending time with his grandchildren in retirement.

oscar.francis@odt.co.nz