Christchurch Art Gallery
| Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu | |
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Gallery exterior
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| General information | |
| Coordinates | 43°31′50″S 172°37′52″E / 43.53056°S 172.63111°ECoordinates: 43°31′50″S 172°37′52″E / 43.53056°S 172.63111°E |
| Inaugurated | 11 May 2003 |
| Owner | Christchurch City Council |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Buchan Group |
The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, commonly known as the Christchurch Art Gallery, is the public art gallery of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is funded by Christchurch City Council. It has its own substantial art collection and presents a programme of New Zealand and international exhibitions. The gallery opened on 11 May 2003, replacing the city's former public art gallery, the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, which opened on 16 June 1932 and closed on 16 June 2002.
The Māori elements of the name are explained as follows: Te Puna honours waipuna, the artesian spring beneath the gallery and Waiwhetu refers to one of the tributaries in the immediate vicinity, which flows into the River Avon. Waiwhetu may also be translated as ‘water in which stars are reflected’.
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu was designed by the Buchan Group. The gallery's forecourt has a large sculpture, Reason for Voyaging, which was the result of a collaboration between the sculptor Graham Bennett and the architect David Cole.
The building was used as Civil Defence headquarters for Christchurch following the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, and again after the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The gallery was designed to deal with seismic events. The gallery's foundation, a concrete raft slab that sits on the surface of the ground, evenly distributes earthquake forces. However, it sustained some damage in the 2011 earthquake. The gallery building was used as a Civil Defence headquarters for seven months after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and did not reopen until 19 December 2015 due to the need for extensive refurbishments and improvements.
Although the predecessor to the current Christchurch Art Gallery was opened in 1932, William Baverstock was the first paid director, appointed in 1960 (he had previously served as honorary curator from 1949).
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