Simon Johnson explores the background of a mechanical zebra toy in the Te Manawa collection. This toy and many like it once dominated European toy markets in the first half of the 20th century - but now they are rare items.
One of the foundations of the art collection at Te Manawa is the Centenary Collection of contemporary New Zealand painting, comprising 16 paintings by 15 artists. In March 1970 the...
As empires rise, so they too must fall. Simon Johnson follows up on his Mechanics Made Easy post by tracing the history of Meccano from post-war to the present day. One item in the heritage collection at Te Manawa is a landmark for the brand’s struggle to survive in an increasingly crowded market.
The heritage collection at Te Manawa contains many curiosities. Inspired by an example of “Mechanics Made Easy”, local historian Simon Johnson charts the rise of Meccano and the toy empire of engineering entrepreneur Frank Hornby.
Every year Te Manawa adds dozens of items to its collections. Artworks to the art collection; artifacts of our society, past and present, to the heritage collection. Long before anyone had heard of Covid-19, collecting was to be paused during the first six months of 2020. When a community is as generous with its donations as this one, says collections manager Jeff Fox, sometimes you need to stop to get your breath back...
ArtCollections25 August 2020by Te Manawa
Warding off the march of time
Creating digital backups of artworks is a way of preserving them
Some people are going to make trouble no matter where they go!
For the Festival of Cultures we took a dive into the collections store.
What do a Palmerston North art teacher, the Duke of Gloucester and a WW1 flying ace from Hunterville have in common?
kōrero mai
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Phone: +64 (06) 355-5000
0800-4-A-MUSEUM
Te Manawa Museum
326 Main Street
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Aotearoa New Zealand
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