Programmes

Tauranga Art Gallery offers a range of educational programmes that aim to enchant, inspire, and educate students of all ages. Our education staff will tailor class programmes to make use of the current exhibitions, aligning them with curriculum outcomes across a range of subjects.

Our team is available to give an introductory talk on the education programme at your staff meeting. Contact Grant Thompson grant.t@artgallery.org.nz to discuss a suitable time.

Gallery tour

An Educator will take the class on an engaging tour of the current exhibitions. Discussion will centre around selected works that are appropriate for the age group and suit the learning outcomes that have been agreed upon with the teacher. Classroom teachers can act as gallery educators and direct their own class through the Gallery if they want to. Pre-visit resources will be supplied to teachers.

Gallery tour and practical activity

This combines Gallery viewing with a practical activity that relates to the work seen on the tour. There is a minimum charge of $1.00 per student to cover the cost of materials. Pre-visit and post-visit activities will be available on the website.

Programmes for Term 2

The practical activities below are examples of ones we offer when you visit the Gallery. They can be modified to suit your class, or new ones tailored just for you. A more complete programme will be sent to you before your visit.

There will be full unit plans available under the resource tab in the schools section of this website, as well as on VLN (Virtual Learning Network). VLN supports the concept of classrooms without walls, where a rich and diverse range of courses, programmes and activities, from early childhood through to tertiary, are offered by New Zealand-based educators.

Darryn George: Rata(from 11 Feb – 20 May) Suitable for Yr 1 - 13

George (Nga Puhi) combines his knowledge of western abstraction and Maori kowhaiwhai painting in his paintings. He uses the computer to combine numbers, lettering (Maori words), simple or complex stacked or angled rectangles, and the patterns of moko, koru and kowhaiwhai. Rata (which translates to Doctor) is about healing, which is relevant with our recent natural and human-made disasters. The painting is a stunning large scale work installed in the Gallery atrium.

Rata - Activity 1

Using text and digits in a similar way to Darryn George, students will create a design that uses Maori words or focuses on the grounding of the Rena. This activity will be tailored to suit all age levels and will involve the use of a variety of materials.

Whakarongo (from 4 Feb – 6 May) Suitable for Yr 1 – 13

Emerging Maori artists explore the notion of whakarongo which means to listen, hear, obey. The artists include Ngatai Taiepa, Ngaahina Hohaia, Tracey Tawhiao, Natalie Robertson, Reuben Friend, Nathan Pohio, Kereama Taepa, and Saffronn Te Ratana. The works are new and vibrant, and offer a view on the direction of recent Maori art.

Whakarongo Activity 1

A mixed media montage activity in the style of Tracey Tawhiao. This activity will be tailored to suit all age levels.

Nigel Brown (from 31 March - 25 May) Suitable Yr 1 - 13
Nigel Brown's work can be used as motivation for a range of topics in a variety of media, that include the figure in the landscape and the portrait in the interior. Programmes will be developed that suit the age level and the requirements of the teacher.

Brian Brake: Lens on the World (from 31 May - 16 September) Suitable Yr 3 - 13
Literacy: Interesting and fun oral and written literacy activities have been developed to suit the year levels of the classes visiting. The activities do not involve practical activities, and can take place in the Gallery's exhibition spaces. Both this and the practical activity can be combined in a visit, but a longer booking needs to be made (2 hrs is recommended). This is an example of an activity:

Task 1
1. Students discuss the characters in the photo with a partner, and orally "set the scene.
2. Students plan and write the events that took place before their characters meet / interact.
3. In small groups students read and share their writing.

Task 2
The framework outlined above can be used to motivate students to write a character sketch of one of the characters in their shared story, or from another groups shared story.

Visual Arts: After viewing and discussing Brake's images, in particular his understanding and use of composition, light and dark, form and colour, one of his photographs will be selected to use as the basis for an original mixed media art work. This exercise not only reinforces the viewing of Brake's work, but gives students the opportunity to create their own abstract composition, and learn art making techniques in the process.

Teachers can also use this this link to a Brian Brake and photography resource prepared by Te Papa education staff

Robert McLeod: Mixing Different Heavens (from 31 May - 30 September) Suitable Yr 1 - 13
McLeod's work lends itself to the creation of original 2D or 3D cartoon like characters. Different programmes will be developed to suit the different age levels viewing the exhibition.

Bookings for school visits are essential

Contact Georgia Jackson

Exhibition Reviews
Last Wednesday of every term, 4pm - 5pm

Teacher Support
We offer a range of programmes to support teachers in visual arts education. These range from introductory exhibition tours through to practical art-making workshops.They include:

Professional learning workshops for teachers
Preview evenings and regular programme updates
Collaborative programmes with other local institutions
Outreach programmes - visiting schools to inform teachers about Gallery exhibitions and programmes, visual arts education, and to hold practical workshops.
Downloadable resources the include an artist's biography, discussion questions, pre-visit and post-visit activity suggestions, resource lists, and contextual information.

For further information

Previewing exhibitions and discussing with Gallery staff the possible learning outcomes before your class visits the Gallery, provides you with valuable information to plan your class programme around.

It is important to advise the Education Manager of the focus of your visit, so learning goals can be shared and educational experiences extended.

Contact: Grant Thompson, Education and Visitor Programmes Manager
ddi: 07 579 0622 / Email: grant.t@artgallery.org.nz