Lincoln University is sharing some of the highlights of its art collection with the people of Selwyn and beyond. An exhibition entitled 'Pleasure and Provocation' is on display at the Selywn Art Gallery in Darfield until 27 October.
Since the early 1970s, when a small group of staff used social club funds to purchase the first paintings (to the dismay of some colleagues who felt the money should be used to buy a beer fridge), the collection has grown to encompass original works by emerging and established New Zealand artists.
Michael Smetham, one of the founders of the collection, joined Lincoln University staff, Darfield residents and art lovers for the opening of the exhibition on Friday 30th September.
From the relatives and fellow artists of the late Cath Brown of Taumutu, to the official portrait of the first Principal of Canterbury Agricultural College; from Sutton to Cotton to Braithwaite to Kahukiwa, the collection provides a rich and living record of the land, its occupants, and its uses.
It begins with the mana whenua of Te Taumutu Rūnanga and extends to the university and beyond, including works which commemorate or challenge the mores and status quo of different eras and the present.
The collection is overseen by the Lincoln University Art Committee, whose current chair is Dr Megan Clayton, and exhibited thanks to the support of the Malvern Community Arts Council.
Dr Clayton says, "This exhibition, the first of its kind from the Lincoln University Art Collection. It pairs works to please and provoke the viewer, bringing to the people of Selwyn district some of the taonga that we cherish on campus."