THE ACTION FRONT

75 YEARS OF ART FROM THE WAIKATO SOCIETY OF ARTS

5 April - 4 October 2009

View the online catalogue

Anniversaries are a time of sharing memories.

This anniversary exhibition takes a visual journey through the memories of The Waikato Society of Arts.

Since Ida Carey, Adele Younghusband and Dr Eugene Rogers first worked at the action front of Waikato art in 1934, their legacy has paved the way for art and artists to flourish in the Waikato. Many of the works depict Waikato land and history, visually contributing to our sense of place. Join us in celebrating 75 Years of WSA art-making.

The exhibition takes glimpses over three periods of twenty-five years with some of the key people andhighlights of the times.

1986 - 2009

“I like to see life with it’s teeth out” - Janet Frame

The section takes a snapshot of art that exposes everything, utilises everything and depicts anything; from colonialism to agriculture to the simplicity of a bowl of fruit. The WSA as it is today represents a celebration of life in multimedia and Technicolor. The new wave of art continues to be generated internationally as well as here in the Waikato. The self-consciousness of art gives way to a certain confidence and regionalism that comes with a newfound maturity.

1960 - 1985

Future shock is the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time. - Alvin Toffler

Art from the 1930s - the 1980s saw fifty years of history-defining moments. The new arrived before its time and bequeathed art with a vision that was war-torn but tempered with philosophy, literature and convention; a fresher vision with growing wisdom about the past.

Joan Fear, Ruth Davies, Paratene Matchitt, Ray Starr, Geoff Fairburn, Campbell Smith, Ted Bracey, Rob Gardiner and Barry Hopkins were among the bright young things that popped up with their own ideas about art. This new generation was all too aware of life’s hardship after the war and their vision was coloured with a realism that would inspire a coming generation. This part of WSA history was vital in enabling it as a body of dedicated art enthusiasts to become a serious art establishment that could push towards the 21st Century.

1934 - 1959

We will never surrender - Sir Winston Churchill

The Great War left its morbid fingerprint on the entire world. Foolishly, the lesson of the horrors of war was not learnt, again the world turned to conflict yet again in 1939 - 1945. Here in Hamilton and indeed the world at large, art became one place of refuge where the ability to create from ruins was possible.

Ida Carey and Adele Younghusband were women whose tenacity to foster creativity brought about a new outlet for beauty to flourish. Together with Dr Eugene Rogers, they formed the Waikato Society of Arts in 1934. It is this one act of creativity that enabled the proliferation of the vibrant art community in the Waikato we experience today. They never surrendered their creative spirits to the destruction that surrounded them.

Acknowledgements: Nga Mihi Atu

The Waikato Museum is grateful for the generosity extended by the WSA Patron, Joan Fear for her hours of consultancy and breadth of WSA knowledge.

Also many thanks go to Brenda Sayers and Martha Simms (Current WSA President) and the contribution of the artists for the loan of their works.

Thank you to the interviewees for sharing their stories also.

Many thanks to Cathy Springett for the loan of her archival photographs.

The Waikato Society of Arts

Life Members

Mrs Heather Lomas, Mr R Gardiner, Mr Campbell Smith, Ms Enid Claris, Mr Barry Hopkins, Mrs Joan Fear, Mr Graeme and Mrs Elaine Henry, Mrs Ruth Davey, Mr Robin Cuff, Mrs Frances Van Dammen, Mr Betty Fistonich, Ms Gudde Moller, Pam Nash

In Memoriam

Mrs A Bell, Mr W. W. Dillicar, Miss Ida Carey, Mrs Adele Younghusband, Mr C. Haswell Paine, Mrs Florence Powell, Dr and Mrs Eugene T. Rogers, Mr G.E. Fairburn, Mr A.F. de Lisle, Mr R Starr, Mr Mike Stringfield

2009 Members

ANNE L. KALNINS CATHERINE HARRIS JACK HAVILL CAROLE HEBBERD JONATHAN HEWSON RUTH HICKMAN GRETCHEN HICKMOTT WALAIPORN (YOK) HICKMOTT GLENICE HILL KATE HILL DEBORAH HINDE GRAEME HITCHCOCK TANYA HOLLATZ MURIEL V. HOUGHTON RONALD HUBBARD ERIKO HULSE EILEEN HUNT DAPHNE INALIS LOIS INGS ANGELA JACKSON YANIV JANSON ROSSLYN JOHNSON LYNDA JOHNSTON ANNE JOLLY OLIVE JONES NELSY JORDAN GAYE JURISICH CARRIL KARR JAN KAYWOOD LANCE KENDRICK DAVID KING JANET KNIGHTON CHRISTINE KYD HELEN LANGLEY CAROLINE LAUFISO MARGO LEE NINA LEE AGI LEHAR-GRAHAM SAM LESTON FRANKIE D. LETFORD PAULINE LEWIS MICHELLE LIBBY BEVERLEY A. LIMMER DAVID LLOYD DELYS LODGE GAYLENE LONERGAN HEATHER LOWERY-KAPPES ELSA LYE JANIS MACDONALD GRANT MACKINTOSH AROHA MAHONEY DI MANDENO MARION MANSON F.W. MARSHALL JUDITH MATTHEWS JILL MATTEWSON GILLIAN MAY SPRY JULIAN MAZE HEIDI MCCULLOCH OLWYN MCDONAGH STEPHANIE MCKECHNIE DEBORAH MCKENZIE KERRY MCLENNAN PAULA MCNEILL ALEX MCPHERSON LINDA MCSORLEY JANICE MEADOWS ELIZABETH MEBAN MARGARET MECCHIA CHRISTINE MELCHIOR ROSEMARY MERCER PETER MERRICK JOHN MILLAR HELENA MOGHADASSI IONA MOODY GARRY MOORE EILEEN MORAN THERESE MOSEN WAIKATO MUSEUM LIBRARY MARIE NALDER JENNY NEWMAN RAY NICHOLAS WENDY NIELSEN GRACE NOLAN NOELINE NUTTALL LESLEY OLSEN KIM ORLANDO-REEP DANIEL ORMSBY LISA ORMSBY RONALD THOMAS OSMOND SHIRLEY RUTH PAGE BEVAN PARKER GLENYS PARTON PAT PATERSON FRANCES PAUL KEN PERROTT DENTON PERRY NGAIRE PHILLIPS JUDY PICARD JACKIE PINFOLD GAYLE PITCORN MARGARET PORTER SACHA POWER KAREN PRALL SHARDELL QUINN HILARY RAMAGE ANGELICA REITZENSTEIN INGRID RICHARDS MERLE RIDDELL SALLY-ANN RIDDELL FRANCESCA RILEY LIN RITCHIE SANDRA RODGERS SUE ROOTS REBECCA ROSE JOY ROSS NICOLA ROWLANDSON MIRIAM SAPHIRA JUDIE SAVAGE BRENDA SAYERS HEATHER SCANLEN ROBYN SCANLEN PAUL SCHILOV CHRISTINE SCHRODER MARK SCHRODER SASKIA SCHUITEMAKER KAY SCOTT JENNY SCOWN PETER SERGEL JILL SHASKEY BRUCE SHERIDAN CASSANDRA SHIELDS CHRISITNE SIMMONS NICOLE SIMONS WILMA SIZELAND OLIVE SMALL BARBARA SMITH BARRY SMITH BRIAN SMITH HELEN SMITH VERA SMITH HYE RYEONG SONG PATRICIA SPEEDY PAULA SPIERS CATHERINE SPRINGETT D.E. STANICH GLENDA STARR PAEKAU ANN STOKES REBECCA STOTT ANN STUBBS STUART STUBBS HELEN SUTHERLAND BARBARA SUTTON-BRUCE BARBARA SWARBRICK PAULINE TAPPING JENNI TARIS LOIS TAYLOR ELIZABETH THOMAS FAITH THOMAS BRONWYN THORPE CHIE TOJI JOAN M. TRAVAGLIA ENID TROWER BEV TRULOFF HELEN M. TUTTY PETE VAN DER HULST SHIRLEY VAN DER HULST BARBARA VON SIEDA MARTY VREEDE JOHN WAKELING KAREN WALLACE ALEISHA WALTERS IRENE WAN NANCY WATKINS IAN WATSON JANE WEIR JANE WHYTE ELAINE WILLIAMS TED WILLSON JANICE WILTON JAN WOLSTENHOLME DOUGLAS E. WRIGHT JOY WRIGHT LIZ YOUNG MARGARET ZUBE