To celebrate the power of community support, MTG Hawke’s Bay Museum, Tai Ahuriri marks the 10th anniversary of its patron group, MTG Foundation, with an exhibition of their remarkable contributions to the region’s collection, Pictures and Other Works.
Each piece from the collection stands as a testament to the foundation’s dedication to preserving and expanding the cultural richness of Hawke’s Bay.
The roots of this celebration extend back to the will of Mary Bestall, whose generous bequest was dedicated to new acquisitions. In her will she specified funds should be used for the purchase of pictures and other works of art, hence the exhibition title.
From the outset, the institute depended on the visionary contributions of the likes of Mary Bestall and other extraordinary individuals.
Early shapers such as William Colenso whose passion for inquiry saw him, along with others, grow the institute (as it was then) into a centre for learning. Others like Augustus Hamilton pressed upon the institute the urgency in collecting items “which illustrate the history or arts of [Māori]”, and Leo Bestall who pulled the community of Napier together to raise funds for the redevelopment of what we now know as MTG (museum, theatre, gallery).