Te Manawa in Palmerston North announces spring exhibition programme

Sculptor Paul Dibble’s work will be displayed at Te Manawa Art Gallery from November 11.

A new season of exhibitions is beginning at Te Manawa, celebrating local legends, launching into outer space and stepping back into pre-history.

Did you know New Zealand has had a significant involvement in space? Tūhura Tuarangi – Aotearoa in Space is a hands-on exhibition collecting our country’s achievements in space exploration.

It’s packed with activities that will fascinate all ages: you’ll heft a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite, run your fingers over a piece of crashed space probe, and turn water into rocket fuel! Entry is free and the exhibition is open until October 8.

In the art gallery we salute two creative giants of Manawatū, each approaching artistic achievement from a different direction.

On Saturday, we open “Brian Elliott: 55 Years of Architecture”, which collects drawings and photographs of some of the most recognisable buildings from around our region, all designed by Brian Elliott. Discover the stories behind UCOL, the Globe Theatre and more as we reveal archival material never before displayed.

Almost everyone in Palmerston North will have seen a Paul Dibble sculpture. He too has had a career spanning more than 50 years, and from November 11 we survey his work in “Paul Dibble: Continuum”. The exhibition presents sculptural highlights from across the decades, laying out the evolution of his style and practice.

Finally, in December, we open our most spectacular science show in years. The centrepiece of “Six Extinctions” is a full-size cast skeleton of the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex unearthed. She’s joined by fossils of other species who’ve lost the battle against extinction across the eons, from massive armoured fishes to sabre-toothed cats. It’s a time-travelling science spectacular that you won’t want to miss!

• For more information about these exhibitions, and to plan your visit to Te Manawa, head to temanawa.co.nz.