Conversations through Time

There are a few threads weaving their way around this exhibition. The first is the work of Alice (nee Vallance) Hosking (1860 - 1920) held in the Aratoi Collection, and secondly the work of Kirsty Gardiner, contemporary ceramic and textile artist, who was inspired by seeing Alice’s sketch books on their return from the Turnbull Library. The third thread is that of Bronwyn Reid, who had a long-standing relationship with the works through her many years working at Aratoi, and who was instrumental in getting the sketch books returned to the Wairarapa.

Alice was a prolific producer of carved pieces, a grandfather clock, bellows and a bench among them. Her sketchbooks contain paintings of New Zealand native flowers, followed by brief notes on each painting, all dated and signed. The sketchbooks date from 1909 – 1917.

Over the years, working as a gallery technician at Aratoi, Kirsty was always drawn to Alice’s sketch books, and a desire to have an exhibition with these works has been a long-time dream.

Artist Talk: Saturday, 18 February, 11am