Great Barrier Island Community Heritage & Arts Village Trust
From 2001 to the present day...
In May 2001 a group of seven artists, led by sculptor Bob Lawson, decided to establish an Art Group on Great Barrier Island. At first, the Trust had no home, no exhibition space. The Artists took their work to Waiheke Island Gallery in 2002 and 2004. Texas Cafe, the Currach Irish Pub and the Tryphena Hall were local venues for shows. Two old buildings, the Mabey House built in 1908, and the Gray Cottage built in 1922, were gifted to Bob Lawson and his partner Di Hayes by their owners Helen Mabey and Allan Mitchell. They were relocated to land in Gray Road, owned by Alan and Sue Gray. In 2004, the Tryphena School Master's House, built in 1897 and later relocated to Claris and used for various purposes including as club rooms for GBI Sports & Social Club, was about to be demolished, and Bob and Di took ownership of the building which joined the other two on the Gray Road site. In December 2004, following a huge amount of voluntary work from artists and other members of the community, the School Master's House was opened by Auckland City Councillor Toni Millar as the Aotea Gallery. Throughout the next five years, the Gallery was run by a Manager and volunteers, each year being more successful than the last. An important aspect of the Trust has centred around workshops for both adults and children in painting, pottery and ceramics, photography and various crafts, and each year during the Winter Arts Festival the Matariki Maori New Year has been celebrated, involving all three local schools. In February 2009, the Trust decided to change the name to Great Barrier Island Community Heritage and Arts Village Trust. The Aims of the Trust have always included the objective to save and preserve the Island's Heritage, and to progress further, the Trust believed it was necessary to request assistance from the Great Barrier Community Board and Auckland City Council. The Board and Council gave a positive response, and funding was allocated to remove the three buildings from privately owned land to Council property near the Claris Airport. The land was cleared and prepared in October 2009, and the buildings were moved in November. By that time, the Trust had taken ownership of the buildings in an agreement with Bob Lawson and Di Hayes. The small building was built in 2008 by Bob as a storage shed, using his leadlight windows which he had created for a film set. Many people ask "Is it part of a church?" - no it is not! A huge number of locals gave voluntary time, skills and the use of machinery to make it happen. Exactly five years since the opening of the Gallery in Gray Road, Councillor Toni Millar was present to open the Village and the Gallery at the new site in Hector Sanderson Road, Claris. Throughout 2010 and 2011, restoration work continued on the Mabey House building, and in July 2011 the Mabey Gallery was opened with a wonderful exhibition of art and craft.. The former Gallery, considered too small to contain all the work being contributed, became the Workshop Room, and space for meetings and performances. The lawns and gardens have been established and cared for by volunteers, and a Community Sculpture of a native eel has pride of place near the front entrance. The Gallery continues to thrive, run by volunteers under the guidance of a Gallery Manager and the nine Trustees.Turnover has doubled, as have visitor numbers. Tourists as well as locals are impressed with the quality of the work exhibited for sale, and as each year passes, the Village becomes even more a 'must see' destination. Once funding becomes available, the Gray Cottage will be restored as the Heritage Museum. Grateful thanks are offered to all of the Funding Groups who have assisted the Trust to grow and expand, in particular Auckland City Council, Great Barrier Community (Local) Board, Creative Communities, ASB Community Trust, Lotteries, Sky City and COGS, as well as private individuals. Thanks are also due to the tremendous support in time and effort contributed by our local volunteers. Much of the success of the project is due to these generous people. Kindly Written By Patron Di Simpson
