Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery |
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| Former names | Lopdell House Gallery |
| General information | |
| Type | Art Gallery |
| Location | 420 Titirangi Road, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 36°56′18″S 174°39′19″E / 36.938244°S 174.655171°E |
| Current tenants | Te Uru |
| Construction started | 2012 |
| Completed | 2014 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 6 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Mitchell & Stout Architects |
| Awards and prizes | NZIA Public Architecture Award 2015, Shortlisted for World Architecture Festival 2015 |
Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery, often called Te Uru, is a modern art gallery in Titirangi, Auckland, New Zealand. It used to be known as Lopdell House Gallery. This special place shows new and exciting art. The gallery mainly serves the West Auckland area. It first opened its doors in 1986 inside a building called Lopdell House.
Building a New Home
The gallery closed in 2012 for a big building project. They wanted a brand new, custom-built space just for art. Mitchell & Stout Architects designed this new building. The new Te Uru gallery opened on 1 November 2014.
People really liked the new building. It won several awards in 2015. These included awards from the Auckland Architecture Awards and the New Zealand Architecture Awards. They recognized the building's great design for public spaces and its connection to heritage.
Andrew Clifford was the first director of Te Uru in its new home. He started in 2013. He left at the end of 2022 to lead another gallery. Ioana Gordon-Smith was the first curator for the new gallery. A curator helps choose and organize the art for shows.
Why the Name Te Uru?
The name Te Uru comes from a Māori phrase. The phrase is "Te Hau a Uru." This means "wind from the west." It refers to the strong winds that are common in the West Auckland (Waitākere/Hikurangi) area.
The gallery chose this name after talking with local iwi (tribe) Te Kawerau ā Maki. This shows respect for the local Māori culture and land.
Art Shows and Exhibitions
Te Uru hosts many different art shows, called exhibitions. These shows let people see amazing works by artists.
One important event held at Te Uru is the annual Portage Ceramic Awards. This is New Zealand's top prize for art made from clay. Many artists who work with ceramics hope to win this award.
Many guest curators have also put on their own shows at Te Uru. These include people like Ron Brownson and Ian Wedde. They bring fresh ideas and different kinds of art to the gallery. For example, Damian Skinner curated shows like Hattaway, Schoon, Walters: Madness and Modernism in 1997. He also curated Steve Rumsey and the Camera Club Movement 1948-64 in 2003.
Since the gallery reopened in 2014, it has shown many exciting exhibitions. Some of these include:
- Seung Yul Oh's HaPoom
- Janet Lilo's Janet Lilo: Status Update
- Caroline McQuarrie's No Town
- Judy Millar's The Model World, which was a special art piece made just for the gallery space.
See also
In Spanish: Galería de arte contemporáneo Te Uru para niños
