Whakaaturaka
Exhibitions
Taipoeka
Events
E Whakaaturia ana Ināianei
On display
Mark Stocker on Francis Shurrock
Francis Shurrock modelling the bust of James Shelly 1925. Francis Shurrock Archive, Robert and Barbara Stewart Library and Archives, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
Talk
Philip Carter Family Auditorium
Free
Join art historian Dr Mark Stocker as he gives a fascinating illustrated lecture that ties in with the exhibition Dear Shurrie: Francis Shurrock and his Contemporaries.
Related reading: Free event
Exhibition
Dear Shurrie: Francis Shurrock and his contemporaries
8 March – 13 July 2025
The art, influence and friendships of sculptor and teacher Francis Shurrock.
Commentary
Morris Dancing in the Modelling Room
Arriving in Ōtautahi Christchurch must have been like arriving on another planet for Francis Shurrock. It was 1924, and he had travelled half-way around the world from England to take up a position as modelling and art craft master at the Canterbury College School of Art. Indeed, one of his pupils there, Juliet Peter, later described him as an “alien”, for the fresh approach to teaching that made him stand out from other teachers at the school. Nevertheless, Shurrock made Ōtautahi his home and never returned to England.
