Curator Notes

Waikato Museum has four curators, and together they curate exhibitions that showcase our collections in the four areas of Art, Social History, Science and Tangata Whenua.

But what does “curate” even mean? What’s involved? The curators are human after all, so how do their individual thoughts shape the display?

For each exhibition, there are a staggering range of topics and threads that could be covered, and decisions are made throughout the exhibition development process that shape the story into its final form.

Curator Notes explores the importance of plants from the perspectives of human history, including tangata whenua, science and the arts. It marks the United Nations' International Year of Plant Health 2020, which is an initiative designed to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can reduce poverty, protect the environment and boost economic development.

The exhibition also serves to open up a window into our curators' minds, using annotated notes to demystify the curatorial process, and illuminate their typically unseen craft.

Image: Detail, Tripetal, 1992, bronze, by Elaine Henry (b. 1938). Barry Hopkin’s Art Trust Collection, courtesy of Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato.