Random
Art survives quake
14/09/10 23:05
Received this fantastic email from Jenny Harper, Director of the Christchurch Art Gallery, following the devastating 7.1 magnitude earthquake 10 days ago. I’m sure she won’t mind me sharing it:
“It's been a roller coaster week for all of us here in Christchurch, for
some more than others at home, but for all of us as our workplace became
an operational civil defence headquarters.
Equally, it has been wonderful to see how sturdy our art gallery
building is and how the collections - in storage and on display - stood
up to the jolts and subsequent (mostly diminishing) ripples of
aftershocks during the last 9 days. And how committed and able our staff
team has been!!!
It's equally marvellous to advise you that the civil defence teams will
move from the art gallery this weekend. Oh joy...We shall have a good
clean and tidy-up on Monday and we very much hope to open again for
normal business on Tuesday - keep an eye on our website for further
updates, if you plan to visit (and, in case!)
I understand that Ballantynes in Cashel Street opened today (a reliable
thermometer of community spirit) and that there will be a large open-air
service outside the cathedral in the Square on Sunday, so the city is
re-gaining some sense of a return to normal. It will be exciting and
pleasing to be part of a confidence-building and recovery process
(instead of being at the heart of the 'defence' strategy) and to help a
general healing of the spirits. As an important component of the city's
cultural sector, we can do so much in this area and this will continue
with the Mueck show when it opens to the public on 2 October.
Thank you so much for your individual and collective thoughts and offers
of support. We're in such a great professional group!
Jenny H”
The art gallery is one of my favourite in the world with a truly spectacular collection so I’m over the moon that it and Jenny’s team are still in one piece.
“It's been a roller coaster week for all of us here in Christchurch, for
some more than others at home, but for all of us as our workplace became
an operational civil defence headquarters.
Equally, it has been wonderful to see how sturdy our art gallery
building is and how the collections - in storage and on display - stood
up to the jolts and subsequent (mostly diminishing) ripples of
aftershocks during the last 9 days. And how committed and able our staff
team has been!!!
It's equally marvellous to advise you that the civil defence teams will
move from the art gallery this weekend. Oh joy...We shall have a good
clean and tidy-up on Monday and we very much hope to open again for
normal business on Tuesday - keep an eye on our website for further
updates, if you plan to visit (and, in case!)
I understand that Ballantynes in Cashel Street opened today (a reliable
thermometer of community spirit) and that there will be a large open-air
service outside the cathedral in the Square on Sunday, so the city is
re-gaining some sense of a return to normal. It will be exciting and
pleasing to be part of a confidence-building and recovery process
(instead of being at the heart of the 'defence' strategy) and to help a
general healing of the spirits. As an important component of the city's
cultural sector, we can do so much in this area and this will continue
with the Mueck show when it opens to the public on 2 October.
Thank you so much for your individual and collective thoughts and offers
of support. We're in such a great professional group!
Jenny H”
The art gallery is one of my favourite in the world with a truly spectacular collection so I’m over the moon that it and Jenny’s team are still in one piece.
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