Hailing from the North Island, Anna McLean started in the new role at the gallery two weeks ago and was "really happy" to have landed the role in Oamaru.
"It’s a really cool town. I’m from New Plymouth, which also [has] 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.
She said the next suite of shows at the gallery begins next Saturday and she had been busy working with the upcoming 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."
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 used 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 there would be a treadmill with fans blowing and "all sorts going on".
The Side Gallery will host the "Classic Aotearoa" exhibition featuring photographs taken by MikiNobu Komatsu of common land and cityscapes of towns and cities — some that do not exist any more — throughout New Zealand.
The Sydney-based Japanese lens-based artist, Komatsu, will hold a talk at the gallery next Saturday 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 would feature local artist Fiona Frew’s exhibition "Rubbish Bodies", a range of contemporary jewellery that she made from things around Kakanui, where she lives, Miss McLean said.
All of these next shows have been grouped together and will run from next Saturday to September 1.
An art auction was planned 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 Saturday.
