Tall in the saddle
Tall in the saddle
A colourful character steps out of an intriguing oil painting, writes Toitu Otago Settlers Museum curator Peter Read.
Cool and Collected
Hidden depth of taonga in still life
Hidden depth of taonga in still life
Ti kouka blooms tell a story, but sometimes there’s more to see, writes Lucy Hammonds.
Colin Wheeler’s box of tricks
Colin Wheeler’s box of tricks
An artist’s travelling companions provide insights, writes Ingrid Cole.
Early sign of promise
Early sign of promise
It is remarkable how much Cantonese gold seekers were able to maintain a Chinese lifestyle on the Otago goldfields.
Detailed models crafted from glass
Detailed models crafted from glass
Many glass models of biological specimens are on display in the Animal Attic at Otago Museum, writes Anne Harlow.
Making a point
Making a point
A Dunedin doctor became well know for his stand on shoes, writes Moira White.
Tagging the murderous
Tagging the murderous
Toitu Otago Settlers Museum curator Peter Read unlocks the identity of the owner of a late 1800s tag.
Survival down to the wire
Survival down to the wire
Will Mckee reminds us of the precarious existence of early miners in Central Otago.
Signs of strength and vulnerability
Signs of strength and vulnerability
In 2019, Kalisolaite ’Uhila spent 11 weeks in Otepoti Dunedin as part of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery’s Aotearoa New Zealand Visiting Artist Programme.
Past clues in moa poos
Past clues in moa poos
Much can be found out about the diet of moa by looking at their faeces, reports Emma Burns.
Positives from negatives
Positives from negatives
Art had a lot to say in George Chance’s photography, writes Anna Petersen.
Clothing career found in ‘land of opportunity’
Clothing career found in ‘land of opportunity’
Sean Brosnahan finds the connection between a red suede jacket and a Hungarian immigrant.
Thought-provoking, contemplative pathway
Thought-provoking, contemplative pathway
what was or could be today (again) 2019 is a recent video installation by artist Shannon Te Ao (Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngati Wairangi, Te Papaka-o-Maui).
Busting out hidden treasure
Busting out hidden treasure
Imogen Stockwell pulls back the curtain on one of Oamaru's less known artists and art educators, Dorothy Hurst Jones.
Gone but not forgotten
Gone but not forgotten
Kaoriki, or New Zealand little bittern, are long extinct but, because of museums, not forgotten, writes Kane Fleury.
Showing more than its subject
Showing more than its subject
With only one exhibition space and more than 18,000 art works in its permanent collection, there are many treasures that are rarely seen first-hand in the Hocken Pictures collection.
An important insight
An important insight
A scene from "everyday life" in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery collection provides a missing link, writes Lauren Gutsell.
From both sides now
From both sides now
Reversible garments have come into and gone out of fashion over many years. There’s a certain novelty appeal, combined with a sense of ingenious efficiency.
Ruling the roost
Ruling the roost
A tie pin made from a gold nugget recovered at the height of the gold dredging boom in Otago was donated in the 1950s to Toitu Otago Early Settlers Museum by the family of the late Alexander Crow McGeorge.
Lotto’s poetic oriental origins
Lotto’s poetic oriental origins
Every Saturday as thousands of Kiwis hold their Lotto tickets in eager anticipation of becoming overnight millionaires, few would realise they're part of a tradition that goes back to Otago’s 19th-century Chinese gold seekers.