Our People
Visitor Services
Visitor Host Supervisor
Janet Abbott, Visitor Host Supervisor
Janet is the weekend supervisor at the Gallery and assists with running the visitor services team. She has a background in customer service, and previously ran the Fine Arts programme and taught Art History at Design and Arts College of New Zealand. She has also been a long term member of the Executive Committee of the Friends of the Art Gallery. She enjoys working with people and art and enhancing the experience of the visitors to the Gallery.
Visitor Host
Michael Purdie, Visitor Host
Michael and his colleagues provide visitor host services to ensure that all visitors to the Gallery receive a warm welcome, are provided with information about the Gallery, exhibitions, activities and services and enjoy their visit. He also ensures the safety and security of the Gallery, its collections and visitors. Michael has also researched copyright for works in the collection and worked on a project to find dates for undated collection works.
Visitor Host
Aubrey Xu, Visitor Host
Aubrey is part of the Visitor Services team. She speaks Mandarin Chinese and is always excited to give guided tours of the gallery to our Chinese speaking guests and help them learn more about the exhibitions and artists. She has a long history of event and function experience so keep an eye out for her at one of our next events and around the gallery. Aubrey studied Art Curatorship and Visual Art at university and in her spare time enjoys painting and crafts.
Visitor Host
Carrie Chia-Tan, Visitor Host
Carrie is part of the Visitor Services team. She enjoys giving visitors a warm welcome and sharing information about the gallery, exhibitions, events and even latest happenings around Christchurch City. She is multilingual and her background is in corporate services, arts administration and Asian art histories.
Visitor Host
Dominic Murray, Visitor Host
Dominic first worked at Christchurch Art Gallery in 2003 but re-joined the team in 2016 soon after it reopened. He has worked in Canterbury galleries and museums for over fifteen years. If you ask Dom what he loves about his job, he’ll tell you it’s the interaction with the public and the opportunity to be surrounded by great art. For Dom, it’s important that every visitor has an amazing experience and that the host team are proactive customer service professionals with up to date knowledge of the art works on display.
Visitor Host
Chrysler Wiparata-Hammond, Visitor Host
Chrysler (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāi Tūāhuriri) brings arts and hospitality experience to the Gallery. She is studying a Bachelor of Arts, specialising in Culture and Heritage, with a view to becoming a Māori art and history conservator. She brings a warm and welcoming presence to the Gallery and enjoys helping our visitors engage with the exhibitions. She was a devoted librarian at school and, these days, when she’s not working we’ll often find her studying in the Gallery library.
Visitor Host
Jessica Hamilton, Visitor Host
Jess joined the visitor services team in 2022, but got her start at the gallery as an intern editorial designer for our in-house publication the Bulletin. Jess takes pleasure in sharing information about the Gallery’s diverse collection and enjoys using her knowledge from working at neighbouring galleries to help transform your visit to the Christchurch Art Gallery into a specialised tour of Ōtautahi’s thriving arts precinct.
Visitor host
Meg Doughty, Visitor host
Meg is studying towards her art history masters and has an academic background in art history, English literature and religious studies. Creative practice is part of Meg's nature and she continues to paint alongside her study and work. She loves spending time with the art and having discussions with visitors about the exhibitions.
Visitor host
Napat (Thung) Chutrchaivech, Visitor host
Thung joined the visitor services team in 2023. He has a background in museum and heritage through his undergraduate degree in anthropology, and Māori and Indigenous studies. He also has experiences working and volunteering with different museums in Ōtautahi and Horomaka. Thung enjoys interacting with people and help inspiring them about art and heritage in a fun and engaging way. Outside of work, Thung enjoys learning traditional crafts and making objects using old-school techniques. He also practices photography and its way of telling stories.