At the opening of The Enlightenment Project (expanded), Christchurch-based artist Marian Maguire will talk about the ideas and impetus behind this series, which aims to make sense of this important age of European history, and the worldwide reverberations that resulted. This exhibition builds on the initial showing of The Enlightenment Project in 2022 and Maguire…

Join us for the opening of Sharing Histories, Gifts of 2023 on 18 February at 1pm! Explore some of the treasured objects, archives and photographs that were generously donated to the Ashburton Museum and Historical Society in 2023. Sharing Histories showcases some of the most special and fascinating museum acquisitions of the previous year and…

Join us for a talk with Janet Abbott on March 06 at 6pm! Was Ōtautahi Christchurch the centre of culture in Aotearoa in the first half of the 20th century? The city produced some of our best-known artists of the period, including Sydney Thompson, Rita Angus, Rata Lovell-Smith, Bill Sutton and Rhona Haszard. There were…

To celebrate our exhibition A New Era: Ng King Bros. Chinese Market Garden Settlement, join us for a talk with Arlene Baird, a heritage consultant based in Mid Canterbury. Arlene Baird is a heritage consultant based in Mid Canterbury. She has over 25 years’ experience in the heritage sector, initially in the UK where she…

In this interactive nose and ears-on session, Zonta Ashburton Female Art Award 2023 Premier Award winner Jo Burzynska explains how both musical and perfume notes resonate with each other and can be harmoniously combined, relating to her exhibition Scents Take up the Ringing. Sharing perfume components to smell and sounds to listen to, she will…

On Sunday 07 April at 2pm, Iain Cheesman will be visiting the Gallery and Museum to speak more about his foyer wall artwork The River Is.  The River Is uses balls of wool in a sculptural manner, creating a river-like scene of divining sticks, accompanied by a poem. The work is inspired by a childhood…

Join us for some fun activities every day over the April school holidays!   Sculpt a Soundscape Friday 12 April – Saturday 20 April | All day | Free Create a 3D artwork inspired by different sounds. Suitable for all ages.   Paint a New Era Friday 12 April – Saturday 20 April | All…

Join us for a special ANZAC Day talk on Thursday 25 April at 2pm to celebrate our new exhibition Home Front Heroines. From January 1942 the New Zealand Government was able to direct women to work in essential industries. This saw many women working in jobs which prior to the war had been seen as…

Join us on Friday 26 April at 6.30pm to celebrate the opening of three new exhibitions! Legacy Issues brings together contemporary photographic artists Mitchell Bright, Conor Clarke, Ella Hickford, Moana Lee, Mike O’Kane, Tim J. Veling, and Hannah Watkinson, and presents the diverse ways they have pictured our region. This selection of photographs aims to provide…

Join us in celebrating the official launch of our new online collections website at the Ashburton Museum & Historical Society’s upcoming bi-monthly meeting. Over 1000 photographs and records (with more to come) from the AM&HS community archives will be made available to researchers for the first time, ensuring that people across Aotearoa and the world…