Hailing from the North Island, Anna McLean started in the new role at the gallery two weeks ago and is "really happy" to have landed the role in Oamaru.
"It’s a really cool town. I’m from New Plymouth, which is also that regional sort of gallery feel.
"It’s so important to have these galleries. This is such a great building as well".
Miss McLean has recently completed her curatorial internship at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, after 13 months.
She said the next suite of shows at the gallery begins on July 6 and she has been busy working with the upcoming artists and local artists.
"I see a lot of potential with where the gallery can go as well, with the new build and making new connections with people locally.
"Hopefully I don’t offend too many people. I’m just trying to come in neutrally and connect people.
"It’ll be fun," she said.
The Main Gallery will feature Audrey Baldwin, a Zimbabwe-born and Christchurch-based multidisciplinary artist. The works in this exhibition, "This is Fine, Everything is Fine" will be a mix of installation, photography and moving image.
Miss McLean said Baldwin frequently uses her body to discuss notions of self-worth and identity and to challenge audiences.
"She’s really good at performance art, quite thought-provoking, quite out there, but yeah, it’ll be interesting to see how that work goes and how it’s presented," she said.
She said there would be a treadmill with fans blowing and "all sorts going on".
The Side Gallery will host the "Classic Aotearoa" exhibition featuring common land and cityscapes of towns and cities, some that do not exist anymore, throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, photographs taken by MikiNobu Komatsu.
The Sydney-based Japanese lens-based artist, Komatsu, will have a talk at the gallery on Saturday, July 6 at 11am.
"He does photograph all around the world ... those will all be pretty iconic. I saw one in there from New Plymouth and I thought ‘cool, he’s ticked that one off’," Miss McLean said.
The Community Gallery will feature local artist Fiona Frew’s exhibition "Rubbish Bodies", a range of contemporary jewellery that she has made from things around Kakanui, where she lives, Miss McLean said.
All of these next shows have been grouped together and will run from July 6 to September 1.
An art auction to help raise funds for the new lift at the gallery, "which is super important", she said. It will begin at the same time as the opening night, on July 5. The artworks will be given by friends of the gallery.
