Fine art of a fresh start

She has steered Christchurch Art Gallery through earthquakes, closure and renewal but now it’s time for Jenny Harper to pursue projects of her own.

After more than 11 years in the role, she is stepping down as Director of the gallery with her last day on Thursday. Easter is a time of new beginnings, she says.

“I’m hoping to have a bit of a rest and relax. I’m planning to travel during our winter, I’ve got a couple of projects lined up that interest me and I’m looking forward to leading a tour group to India next March focussing on the art and architecture of that amazing country.”

Jenny Harper will step down as Christchurch Art Gallery Director this week after 11 years in the role.

Ms Harper’s tenure as gallery director is the longest she has spent in the same role in her professional career. She felt it was important to stick it out even through the most challenging times, including overseeing a major repair of the gallery during its lengthy closure following the 2011 earthquakes.

“Being the director of a closed gallery was the hardest job I’ve ever had. Equally, leaving this role now is as hard as it gets. I'll miss the great staff we have here, but also our visitors and supporters.”

One of her biggest highlights was the first few days after the gallery opened its doors to the public again after five years. “We had an amazing time the weekend we reopened. That was definitely a stand-out time with smiles and hugs all around.”

She is proud of visitor numbers during her time as director. A Ron Mueck exhibition in 2010 broke records for visitor numbers bringing 135,000 people into the gallery.

On average, since the gallery opened almost 15 years ago, it has attracted 406,000 visitors a year. “For a city of fewer than 380,000 people this is exceptional,” she says.

Ms Harper is also pleased the gallery’s collection has grown in size and stature under her watch with 991 works of art acquired in the last 11 years. She led a major fundraising campaign to purchase five significant works of art to positively mark the number of years the gallery had to be closed.

The last of these is a new Ron Mueck sculpture for which a PledgeMe campaign reached its $1 million target last year. That work is still under wraps but is expected to arrive later this year.

Ms Harper feels satisfied that she has achieved everything she could have hoped for during her time as director and she is optimistic about the gallery’s future.

“It’s on a really good course, it’s in good heart, and I hope it continues to flourish and make an important mark on the cultural landscape.

“We’re keen for people to understand the creativity and the history of their area and learn more about themselves by engaging with art, and being challenged by sometimes quite difficult work.”