Our committee

President

I am Welsh, I was born in Llandaff, just outside of Cardiff in South Wales. I moved to Surrey when I was 9 years old.  I had such an inspirational teacher of History that I made the decision to teach the subject when I was twelve years old. At the age of 15, I was making regular visits via train to the National Portrait Gallery in the heart of London. I would love to revisit this facility next year as it was closed for refurbishment when I visited Europe three years ago. 

I have a very broad appreciation of visual art. In both Sydney and Auckland, I taught Art History and Classics to Senior School students. In most cases this included a focus on the Early and Late Renaissance and Modernism/ Cubism. However, one of my favourites is the Art and Craft movement. It appeals to my interest in art, literary creations and antique furniture to name but a few! 

Three years ago, I was very fortunate to spend a month in Europe. During this time I visited Amsterdam where I visited the renowned Rijksmuseum. in addition to Rembrandt’s House as well as galleries containing art by Vermeer, one of my all time favourites! At Rembrandt’s House one could view the actual artistic tools the master had used on his canvases. The Rossetti Exhibition at the Tate Britain was also amazing and very memorable. 

One of the other highlights for me as a teacher of History and Art History was presenting a paper at the special exhibition held in Melbourne from the 8-11th September 2016 entitled “ Human Kind : Transforming Identity in British and Australian Portraits 1700-1914.” It was quite surreal discussing portraiture with leading curators from the Tate Britain, The National Gallery ( London)  and the Albert and Victoria Museum. The event was also sponsored by the National Gallery of Victoria and the University of Melbourne. As conference participants we were all allowed free access to the “Degas: A New Vision” Collection which had just been launched.

I arrived in Timaru 12 years ago to take up a position teaching History at Timaru Boys’ High School. Naturally as an art historian I located the Aigantighe Gallery within 48 hours! I was so impressed by the House Gallery as it reminded me so much of the intimate locations I knew from the United Kingdom. Many of our magnificent stately homes such as Longleat have vast collections of art which are on public view. Unfortunately, that was not the case in Australia, consequently I was thrilled to visit the House Gallery and also appreciate the history of Timaru. When I moved into my house which is very close to the Aigantighe, I proceeded to research the history of my home. I was shocked to find that an important artist Astrid Mollie Steven had lived on the premises and painted in a studio she created, which is still in the grounds of the house. Two years ago I was very pleased to be able to erect 2 prints of classic paintings which are held in the Aigantighe Collection, in her original studio setting. I am thoroughly enjoying my involvement on the committee of the Friends of the Aigantighe Art Gallery. I was Secretary for 8 years and have been in the role of President for 3 years. I look forward to being involved in the sphere of visual art for many years to come.

Deputy President and Treasurer

When you think about Friends, what first made you want to be involved?  I joined the Friends because I enjoy visiting the gallery to view the interesting and diverse range of exhibitions on show. Art is an important part of society, and we are very lucky in to have a gallery with such an amazing permanent collection which includes local and nationally important artists. Being part of the committee means supporting the gallery and enjoying the company of other people who also enjoy art. The Friends has a legacy of supporters who saw a need in the community and then worked as a group to ensure that need was met. The projects supported by the Friends that I am most proud of are the ones that get art from the gallery out into the community so that people who don’t think that art galleries are for them can see the reproduced art in our public spaces and hopefully be encouraged to visit the gallery, after all the collection is there for the community to enjoy!

What do you enjoy about being part of the Friends and the Aigantighe Art Gallery? Our family lives close to the gallery and visiting the Aigantighe on a weekend day was something we did with our children. We bought a painting by local artist Migde McMillan when I was pregnant with our first child, I’ve promised it to her for her 21st birthday!

Is there a Friends-supported project, activity, or contribution that makes you feel especially proud? The projects supported by the Friends that I am most proud of are the ones that get art from the gallery out into the community, for example the coastal walkway art signs, so that people who don’t think that art galleries are for them can see the reproduced art in our public spaces and hopefully be encouraged to visit the gallery, after all the collection is there for the community to enjoy!

What would you like more people to understand about the Friends? The Friends is for everyone, you don’t have to know heaps about art, you just need to value the place of art in our society.

Finish this sentence: “I am part of the Friends because…” art is important, it opens your eyes to how other see the world

Committee Member, member of the Friends, and now Secretary of the Friends

When you think about the Friends, what first made you want to be involved? A conversation with a lady on a flight to Wellington who was the Treasurer at the time and invited me along and co-opted me on to the committee.

What do you enjoy about being part of the Friends? Part of a hard working group of men and women who go out of their way and volunteer time and energy to the legacy of the Friends and art in general for South Canterbury

What do you value about Aigantighe Art Gallery? The now completed Historic Home and the breadth and depth of shows at the gallery

Is there a Friends-supported project, activity, or contribution that makes you feel especially proud? It's a collective thing, no one show or activity stands, many do for different reasons

What would you like more people to understand about the Friends? How much the charity does for the general arts in the South Canterbury region

Finish this sentence: “I am part of the Friends because I like to volunteer and I love art so this brought those two things together"

My connections with Friends started when I found out about the Aigantighe Gallery soon after my arrival in South Canterbury in 1968. I had been appointed as a second teacher at the two-teacher school called Cannington near Cave, and I was boarding out at Cannington.

One weekend I was offered a ride into Timaru by my landlady, and not owning a car, I accepted with enthusiasm. I walked about Timaru to find very little open for visitors, but Aigantighe was open, and I visited, and finding it open prompted me to write a letter to the editor of the Timaru Herald to congratulate Aigantighe on being the “ only place of interest open on a Saturday afternoon to offer entertainment to culturally minded visitors.” The museum and the library were not open!

But despite not owning a car, during the 1970’s I often went to exhibitions at Aigantighe and during the 1980’s I must have officially joined Friends.

A few years elapsed when I was not an active member of Friends or any specialist art group during that time, as I was busy with our five children. But I kept up the membership with my long-time loyalty to art in the community and support of the promotion of art that I have always had and still do.

At present, these years have rolled on, of course, and I am now a committee member of Friends, and I have helped with secretarial work, been Vice President, President, and presently immediate past President.

In 2025, I was the convenor and researcher of one of two support groups that applied for and achieved a heritage listing for the Kate Sheppard National Memorial made by Margriet Windhausen of South Canterbury. This Women's Suffrage relief sculpture is situated on the banks of the Avon River close to Oxford Terrace in Christchurch.

What do I enjoy about being part of Friends? Being a keen advocate for our local South Canterbury art and enjoying visiting exhibitions for what they do to enhance our interpretation and discovery of techniques gives me the most enjoyment. I retired from Timaru Girls High School in 2007, and during my 22 years teaching there, I organized dozens of visits of my classes to go and see exhibitions at Aigantighe. Students were helped by many Aigantighe staff members with their research about art history topics at senior level, and this was always greatly appreciated by my students. On occasions, staff accompanied my classes to visits in Dunedin and Christchurch.

What do I value about Aigantighe Art Gallery? The good choices that have been made by staff and members in selecting works for the art collection of Aigantighe. Their input has been thorough, accurate, and academic. The gallery is nearby and accessible, and on any visit I always learn or discover something new.

Is there a Friends supported project activity or contribution that makes you feel especially proud? I am very proud of the refurbished homestead to show visitors and to drive past or visit. It is a very fine tribute to all who have been involved. It reinforces the established position of art in New Zealand and in South Canterbury in particular, giving credence and accumulated knowledge an apt place.

What would you like more people to understand about Friends? That the membership of Friends all have individual abilities and interests, and no one is more correct or accurate than another. It's an amalgam of people with inspirational interpretations, and freedom of choice is welcomed. There is something for everyone!

Your connection with the Friends: Long-time committee member — for around 25 years, half the life of the Friends themselves. Also a volunteer photographer, website builder, and exhibitor. Through the Friends, I'm able to bring experience from a lifetime of photography involvement at national level, including my own creative business, and regional development roles including the formation of Arts Canterbury.

When you think about the Friends, what first made you want to be involved? My passion for artists and their art, and the ability to help through wide experience in exhibiting, judging, tutoring, speaking and authoring country-wide. That experience, and the recognition that came with it, saw me exhibiting at the Aigantighe since the early 1980s — so joining the Friends became a practical way to put my abilities into something I strongly believed in.

What do you enjoy about being part of the Friends? Being useful, mostly! I've photographed openings and gallery events over many years, and I make those images freely available to exhibitors and the public. With Roselyn I built the Friends' website, aigantighe.org.nz, which shares those photographs and the gallery's story with anyone, anywhere. There's real satisfaction in seeing an exhibitor able to keep a proper record of their show, or someone on the other side of the world discovering what happens in our gallery. And of course the people — artists, volunteers, and fellow committee members who all quietly give their time because they care.

What do you value about Aigantighe Art Gallery? That South Canterbury has a nationally significant art gallery is something very precious. I value the permanent collection, the mix of local and national artists on its walls, its events and the heritage house and garden with its statues that give it such distinctive character — a true heritage asset for our district. As a photographer I also value it as a place where the photographic arts stand alongside painting and sculpture; Because it exists, I've been fortunate to exhibit on various occasions over the years, including a solo show.

Is there a Friends-supported project, activity, or contribution that makes you feel especially proud? The website, built with Roselyn, and the ongoing photographic record of the gallery's exhibitions and events. Openings are fleeting — a couple of hours and they're gone — but photographs keep them. Over the years that has grown into a substantial visual archive of the gallery's life: the artists, the artworks, the crowds, the occasions. Making all of that freely available to exhibitors and the community matters to me, because it means the gallery's story isn't lost, it's shared.

What would you like more people to understand about the Friends? Many of the extras around the gallery happen because of the talents of volunteers who quietly make it possible — the events, the openings, the fundraising, the record-keeping, the advocacy. We do it because not only because it needs doing, but also because we care. Community support for art isn't just an extra though; it's the sole that keeps a regional gallery alive and connected to its people. Fifty years of the Friends is fifty years of that quiet work. Fifty years our artist have had a venue for their art and expressions. Fifty years our community, our school children, have had their lives lifted and inspired.

"I am part of the Friends because…" …photography and art power my life, and the Aigantighe is where our district's love of art is centred. Helping it flourish — with a camera, a website, or a hand on the committee — is simply my way of giving back: sharing and promoting the arts for the wider wellbeing of our community and beyond.

When you think about the Friends, what first made you want to be involved? I grew up in a family where art, photography, design and volunteering were part of everyday life. Aigantighe was more than a place to visit it was part of our community and part of the way I came to understand creativity. I remember being 3 or 4, twirling around the floor at my dad Geoff Cloake's photography exhibition there, seeing my Student Artarama entries on the wall, and then being part of the Plunket Art shows. I enjoyed being a contributor to both what was on the walls and the community around them. I first joined the Friends many years ago in my early 20s. I was invited by Mark Oldfield, whom I used to babysit for. I have served as President for more than four years, Deputy President, and as Treasurer. 

What do you enjoy about being part of the Friends? It has been so much fun. I really love helping at openings; they have felt like parties celebrating with the artists their accomplishment of an exhibition. I have always looked forward to their speeches and floor talks. As a volunteer, serving wine and nibbles was a great way to meet and catch up with regular Friends members and the guests that our artists invite. Over the last 20-odd years, I have met so many interesting people, heard their stories and learned about how they see the world. Being a volunteer has been a special type of on-the-job learning, and while at the start I thought being a volunteer was all about what I could give, now on reflection I also realise it is about what I could get. Friendship. Through my background as an artist, musician, graphic and website designer, and marketer, I naturally gravitate towards communication, fundraising and projects that connect people with the gallery. I also helped build the Friends’ website with my father, Geoff Cloake. The website has become an archive of half of the Friends' life, and a place to share exhibitions, photographs and stories. The committee brings together people with very different skills and experiences. When those strengths are combined, a small group of volunteers can achieve an extraordinary amount to support our gallery team and the wider goal of celebrating the love of the arts in our community.

What do you value about Aigantighe Art Gallery? Aigantighe makes art accessible and gives South Canterbury a place for creativity, learning, memory and community. Aigantighe gives South Canterbury something incredibly special: free access to art in a nationally significant collection, presented within a historic home, a modern gallery and a sculpture garden. Art is important to communities because it helps us understand who we are, where we have come from and what matters to us. It preserves stories and experiences that might otherwise disappear. It can challenge us, comfort us, create conversation and help us see the world through somebody else’s eyes. Art also gives a place character and encourages creativity, builds confidence and creates opportunities for people to gather, participate and feel that they belong. A strong arts community makes a town more interesting to live in, more memorable to visit and more connected to its own identity. What I really love about the Aigantighe, though, is that you do not need to understand everything you see. Sometimes enjoying the way it looks is enough. Aigantighe makes space for that curiosity and connects art, architecture, landscape, memory and people in one remarkable place. The staff has always been amazing at curating the shows and sharing information to help us connect to the artists' work. 

Is there a Friends-supported project, activity or contribution that makes you feel especially proud? The Friends bring people, skills and care together to support the gallery and strengthen its legacy for future generations. I am proud of the Friends’ work to establish a permanent fund through the Aoraki Foundation. After 50 years of people volunteering, fundraising and supporting the gallery, creating something that can continue to grow felt like a meaningful way to honour that legacy and invest in the future. I am also proud of the projects that take art beyond the gallery walls, including the coastal walkway art history trail, the website and the photographic record of exhibitions and openings. These projects make art easier to find, enjoy and remember. As well as the physical projects, I supported projects to raise the profile of our public art sculptures with a free-to-do hunt and challenge, and championed a rock painting craze where a group of 5000 had fun through creativity. My personal mission is to help make things free, fun, and meaningful. The Friends supporting the Gallery team can do all three. 

What would you like more people to understand about the Friends? You do not need to be an artist, an academic or an art expert to become a Friend. The Friends committee and membership are made up of a wide range of people who have a common goal: to support the gallery staff and arts in the community. There are many ways to contribute. You might attend an event, become a member, make a donation, help with a project, or simply encourage someone else to visit. Every connection helps keep the gallery active, accessible and firmly connected to its community.

Finish this sentence: “I am part of the Friends because…” …I believe art helps people see differently, preserve stories and remember. The Friends gives me a community to connect with; it is a special group of people and gives me a sense of belonging. Art and a building are a gallery. But it is the people, the staff, volunteers, artists and visitors who make the Aigantighe feel like home.

I joined nearly 3 years ago because I have a love of the arts. Aigantighe is a pulsing beacon for the arts in Southern Canterbury and Timaru. It encompasses not only the house, but sculpture garden too. Both hold a plethora of events which can move the heart and soul.

“In this information age, it is important to pause and be re-energised by the arts. That is why I am a ‘Friend.’ I hope you will be too. Arohanui, Ian.”