New lecture series to commemorate late Sarjeant director Bill Milbank

Bill Milbank in 1994.

Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery’s Bill Milbank Memorial Lecture series launches on Saturday.

The first of what will be an annual lecture will be presented by Professor Deidre Brown (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu), a pioneer in research into Māori art and architecture.

Brown’s latest book Toi Te Mana: An Indigenous History of Māori Art, which was named as one of the Listener’s Best Books of 2024, will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

Bill Milbank was the director of the Sarjeant Gallery from 1978-2006.

Under his leadership, the Tylee Cottage Residency programme was established and the gallery became the custodians of the Edith Collier Trust collection.

The lecture series is inspired by Milbank’s “wide-ranging” interests, the first of which will be focused on the new Te Pātaka o Tā Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa building and its place in Maori arts and architecture.

Deidre Brown, the 2023 Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Gold Medallist, will explore Māori arts and architecture at the Bill Milbank Memorial Lecture

Sarjeant Gallery director Andrew Clifford said the lecture series would be a living memorial to Milbank and his interests.

“It’s important that we memorialise Bill Milbank in a way that honours his many and varied interests and his commitment to inspire, educate and uplift.

“This lecture series will be a living memorial that will draw upon Bill’s interests so each lecture may cover anything from contemporary design to developments in Māori art, from alternative music to current thinking on curatorial practise or public architecture.

“The aim is that these annual lectures become a highlight in the national art calendar and showcase Aotearoa New Zealand’s most inspirational cultural practitioners and thinkers.”

The lecture is free to attend with refreshments available afterwards, although space is limited to 140 seats.

The Inaugural Bill Milbank Memorial Lecture will take place on Saturday December 7 at 5:30pm as a part of the Sarjeant Gallery Art and Legacy Weekend which takes place over December 7 and December 8.

The Art and Legacy Weekend schedule can be found here.