World of Wearable Art exhibition wows museum visitors
Karen Johnson stands behind two pieces which were made by Deb Price, on the left, and Robyn Park on the right. Photo: Ina Holst.
Takaka’s museum has taken on the WOW factor. The current exhibition of Wearable Art pieces showcases some of the many local artists who have entered the competition in the last 20 years, and allows the visitor to have a unique, close-up view of the works.
Museum staff have worked hard over the last few months to display the whimsical, poetic and textural extravaganza. It entices the visitor to contemplate the many hours of labour by nimble, patient fingers to create garments from stiff brocade, starchy paper, flowing organza silk, wire thin as hair, plaited into a crown, and wings studded with shimmering beads.
A plush possum bra with six yellow rubber teats stands stoically among wearable structures made from strong, unyielding natural fibres. A stern, tough metallic exhibit stands opposite a suit made from 200 fish skins twinkling like a rainbow. Next to it stands a tall, fluorescent dress hosting soft sea creatures. A wedding dress shows the paradoxical nature of marriage, using colour and fabric to depict innocence, purity and a fraying relationship with flashes of anger. A corset made from polished paddlecrab shells has the fitting title “PMT makes me crabby”.
Museum collections manager Jane MacDonald said the exhibition ended up being bigger than expected. It fills the front of building comfortably and spills over into the main part of the museum. The exhibits are placed so that visitors can walk right around them.
“The exhibition is of interest to everybody,” said Jane. “It shows how the different strands enrich the overall tapestry of our community, and we are here to tell these stories. It also shows the history of the last 20 years of Golden Bay artists’ involvement in Wearable Arts, and how Golden Bay artists were very important to WOW right from when it started.”
This fact has also been recognised by the Wearable Art Trust in Nelson, which lent the museum eight of the exhibits and assisted the local museum staff with the exhibition.
“The idea for the exhibition came from Lee Rzoska, who does collection care work at the museum, and had put an entry into WOW with Sarah Hornibrooke. When we approached WOW in Nelson, Heather Palmer from the trust was so supportive to us from the time we came up with the proposal, they even sent over their technician for a full day to install the costumes,” said Jane.
In the beginning, museum staff had a lot of trouble finding enough mannequins for the exhibits, but various businesses came to the rescue and the artists offered their expertise on how to display the garments to their advantage.
Exhibitor Sarah Hornibrooke said she had been “blown away by how much the public is enjoying it and how much positive feedback I’ve had.”
“It is pretty special to see the WOW entries here and it is really nice to see the costumes displayed in normal light. At the show and also at the WOW Museum in Nelson the pieces are exhibited under coloured lights, and seeing them in normal light allows people to experience what the real colours and the materials are.”
Artist Deb Price, who has entered WOW 28 times, said Golden Bay artists have contributed significantly to the development of Wearable Arts.
“To have three supreme winners [Niki Jiminez in 1988, Deb Price in 1995 and Claire Prebble in 2004] from a small community is an outstanding achievement.”
Thanks to the efforts of museum staff and volunteers, the exhibition is open most days during business hours. The exhibition runs until the beginning of March 2010.
Ina Holst
