Our simple and immediate ambition is to reopen to the public, and to do so as soon as practicable. Prior to reopening, however, we must ensure key building repairs are completed to the highest internationally benchmarked standards. Fundamentally, we need to restore our reputation as an important and reliable national and international venue. But to once more become a gallery that punches above its weight and is ‘up there’ with the best in the world, we must again become a gallery in which lenders and prospective partners have confidence. The quality and performance of our building is crucial to this.

Christchurch Art Gallery exists because good art really matters, and our founding donors and private supporters have reinforced this belief over more than a century. We have always sought to connect people with art, ideas about art and artists. Now, we want to be crucial to the heart of the city once more, to make a difference. We can help people to identify Christchurch as ‘open for business’, a good place to live and to visit.

We are pleased the Gallery building was able to play a key role in the recovery and future planning of Christchurch and that, during this time, our building became a prominent symbol of renewal. However, now we need to turn to our more specific role as a focus of the city’s cultural recovery.

Ours is the only public gallery in this area and there is no way to deliver the specific and unique services we offer without an adequate building. From letters to The Press and the many notes of support the Gallery has received, we know it is sorely missed. And we are very aware that one of the few remaining recognisable Christchurch landmarks will founder even further if Christchurch Art Gallery is unable to get over negative perceptions (local, national and international).

Canterbury now finds itself in a new seismic situation that puts it alongside California, Japan, Chile and Greece, to name but a few. We are aware of how risks are mitigated in relation to key public buildings (including galleries and museums) in earthquake-prone areas such as Wellington, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo; we believe that we must not only restore our building, but ensure it is able to improve its seismic capability.

To this end, we have recommended that additional earthquake stabilisation work be carried out, bringing us in line with an increasing number of major public buildings in areas deemed to be of a higher risk of earthquakes. In addition, Councillors have proposed that the Gallery be repaired to 100 per cent of the new building code, which is considerably tougher in its requirements than the previous code. The repairs that are being advocated for the Gallery are intended to substantially increase our seismic capacity and will massively improve our chances of getting back to where we were in terms of being an active art gallery that functions on both a national and an international stage. To date, we have managed risks through technology, good collection management and installation procedures and timely communications, but now help is needed to manage negative perceptions of the new Christchurch.

The state of our city’s cultural institutions was thrown into sharp focus again in April, with the news that Canterbury Museum will be closed until further engineering reports are received and the Museum’s Board is satisfied that the building is of a standard to open to the public. We Gallery staff know how hard it is to be closed and we hope that they are able to open again soon. It’s certainly difficult in this city with so many of our cultural destinations damaged or destroyed.

With knowledge of the fact that the Gallery will remain closed for some time, we must recognise that there are a range of services we are unable to continue to provide in the shorter term. As a result, we are in the unfortunate position of being obliged to make a number of changes to our organisational structure, and with these changes, a number of redundancies. This is not something we have entered into lightly. In total, these affect seventeen valued members of staff. We are offering all the support we can to the affected staff, and wish them all the very best for the future.

Throughout all of this, however, we are continuing to exhibit art. This month sees the return to New Zealand of Michael Parekowhai’s Venice Biennale presentation On first looking into Chapman’s Homer. I’m thrilled that, despite all the trials that this city has faced since the project was seen at the Venice Biennale and in Paris, Christchurch Art Gallery will be the first in New Zealand to exhibit the work on its return. We will be showing Chapman’s Homer in and outside the NG space on Madras Street; with a series of regular musical performances planned, it should be well worth repeat visits.

Our Rolling Maul and Outer Spaces programmes continue apace, with new elements added regularly. And from 23 June you will be able to see the outdoor exhibition Reconstruction: conversations on a city, which will be displayed on a series of free-standing display boards down the section of Worcester Boulevard between Durham and Montreal streets. As Christchurch faces enormous challenges connected to rebuilding, this gathering of images and commentaries will provide an opportunity to reflect on the city’s past and the different places it has been, and upon how particular dreams and values have been given form in our built environment.

And finally, we were thrilled to take home two awards from the Museums Aotearoa Awards in April—not bad for a gallery that’s not even open. My Gallery won in the Innovation and use of technology section and in the Art and design exhibition category we won with our exhibition De-Building. De-Building was praised for the way it responded to the September 2010 earthquake, and My Gallery for its playfulness and ‘allowing for the unexpected to happen’. We’re getting pretty good at that. My thanks to all our staff for their contributions to these projects.

Whatever the result of the consultation process, the coming months will be a busy time for the Gallery. But throughout our repair programme we are committed to providing a cultural outlet for the city whenever, and wherever, possible. In the meantime, keep an eye on our website for updates on our progress.

Jenny Harper

Director

May 2012