Celebrating 50 years of Art History
Bringing Art into the Lives of Everyone
Fifty years ago, in 1973, the first staff member was appointed to the newly established department of Art History at the University of Canterbury, and the department began teaching in 1974. Years later, long-time head of the School of Fine Arts Professor John Simpson recalled that one of his motivations for introducing art history as a subject in the School was ‘its role in bringing Art into the lives of everyone’. In the succeeding years the department has more than met this expectation.
This exhibition – ‘Bringing Art into the Lives of Everyone’ – matches works drawn from the University Art Collection with research by staff from the department, celebrating fifty years of Art History at UC.
Isabella Loudon
Eat Your Mind
What if an artist was given free rein to infiltrate a building, extending beyond their studio space to fill it with their own sculptural work? In December 2023 sculptor Isabella Loudon opened up the building she has been working in for the last two years, and has now taken over. This was a rare chance to see a site-specific multi-roomed installation before the building is demolished in 2024.
