From the MTG: Exciting new exhibits poised for 2022

The MTG will have a number of new exhibitions planned for 2022 covering a range of art, artists and social history stories. Photo Supplied

Opinion

As I write this particular column in mid-December, I have no idea what Covid-19 (or other surprises) will bring in the year ahead. I can, however, say that the wonderful team here at MTG Hawke's Bay Tai Ahuriri continue, as always, to bring their best to work and deliver amazing exhibitions, events, education, and other activities to our community.

We have a number of new exhibitions planned for 2022 covering a range of art, artists and social history stories, starting with Nature Culture, exploring artists' relationship and interconnection with nature. The exhibition will aim to celebrate the cultural value of the natural world and will incorporate works from the Hawke's Bay Museums Trust collection and from local artists.

We will also honour one of our own, Fane Flaws, in an exhibition exploring key elements of his life and creative practice. In a display by Ngāti Kahungunu artist Russ Flatt, the use of drone technology allows him to explore the changing shape of the landscape pre and post the arrival of Pākehā. We'll also be working with renowned Ngāti Kahungunu photographer Fiona Pardington on an exhibition of her work. Another photography exhibition, Bruce Connew: A Vocabulary, explores memorials and gravestones related to Aotearoa's colonial wars as "a vocabulary of colonisation".

We're excited that this year we'll have an exhibition focusing on Marineland – the glory days, the controversy, and the closure, as well as current practice on holding marine life in captivity today. This exhibition will take a trip down memory lane for many and provide light moments along with serious notes. Another social history exhibition, Operation Grapple – We were There, shares veterans telling their stories of what they experienced during nuclear testing in the Pacific.

Alongside our exhibition programme we will continue to offer the MTG Movie Club - it's been great seeing people coming in and enjoying films. We've appreciated your suggestions also on ideas for future films – please keep sharing those. Our educators will continue to provide amazing education programmes, as well as great school holiday options for our younger audiences. As part of our public programmes we'll continue to offer a number of tours alongside activities within the museum and galleries. There's often more going on at MTG than you may realise, so keep an eye on our website for more details about what's on at any given time.

A big focus will be getting the nitty-gritty of detailed design for the new building facility in Hastings finalised. And, of course, the important matter of finalising costs and getting all the funding needed. It'll be exciting to move the collection across to Hastings and situate the Hawke's Bay Museums Trust collection closer to iwi, move the collections in storage away from the tsunami zone and spread Hawke's Bay collection across the region. This project is a huge step forward, and I'm grateful to councils, iwi, and the trust for working together on this in the best interests of the wider community and the collection.

Given it's hard to predict the year ahead in times like these, I hope the new year starts well for everyone and we look forward to seeing you visiting your museum in 2022.

• Laura Vodanovich is MTG director.