• “The expanded team will be central to realising our commitment to Te Ao Māori and global indigenous practices, engagement with communities in Taranaki, and continued passion for our work with Len Lye.” –Co-Directors/Chief Curators, Aileen Burns and Johan Lundh

Govett-Brewster Art Gallery has expanded its curatorial team, appointing several new roles, including an Indigenous Curator of Contemporary Art.

The new curatorial team members: Megan Tamati-Quennell, Associate Indigenous Curator Contemporary Art; Hanahiva Rose, Assistant Curator Contemporary Art and Collections; Lisa Berndt, Curator Public Engagement; Elaine Rollins, Assistant Curator Public Engagement; and Emma Glucina, Curatorial Assistant, Len Lye.

Co-Directors/Chief Curators, Aileen Burns and Johan Lundh say the dynamic team of curators brings new energy and expertise to the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre team.

“The expanded team will be central to realising our commitment to Te Ao Māori and global indigenous practices, engagement with communities in Taranaki, and continued passion for our work with Len Lye.”

Megan Tamati-Quennell (Te Ātiawa, Ngāi Tahu) joins the team in March as Associate Indigenous Curator Contemporary Art. For the next 18 months Megan will divide her time between the Govett-Brewster in New Plymouth and Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand in Wellington where she is Curator Modern & Contemporary Māori & Indigenous Art. Megan has specialist interests in the work of the post war (1945) first generation Māori artists, Mana wāhine; Māori women artists of the 1970s and 1980s, the ‘Māori Internationals’; the artists who developed with the advent of biculturalism, a postmodern construct peculiar to New Zealand and global Indigenous art with particular focus on modern and contemporary Indigenous art in Australia, Canada and the United States.

As Assistant Curator Contemporary Art and Collections, Hanahiva Rose (Te Ātiawa, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Toa) provides curatorial and organisational support for exhibitions; liaising with artists, curators and Govett-Brewster staff to achieve the exhibitions from concept to installation. She also assists with facilitating the public programmes that sit alongside the exhibitions. Previously Hanahiva has worked as an adviser at Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, as research assistant at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and as research assistant and curatorial intern on Oceania at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Hanahiva is regularly published nationally for her writing on Māori and Pacific art practices in Aotearoa.

Lisa Berndt takes up the new role of Curator Public Engagement, leading the reinvigorated public programme and the much-loved, extraordinary Govett-Brewster Education team. Lisa brings more than 10 years of experience working in government organisations. Most recently Lisa worked as the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery’s Business Development Lead. Prior to that she was the Head of Touring Exhibitions at ifa – the Institute for International Cultural Relations in Stuttgart/Germany, responsible for exhibition production and touring worldwide on behalf of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before then she was the Programme Coordinator at the Goethe-Institut in Wellington realising a myriad projects in cooperation with New Zealand cultural institutions.

Elaine Rollins takes up the new role of Assistant Curator Public Engagement. Elaine develops and delivers public programmes and nurtures gallery relationships with myriad community groups, exploring the best way to make exhibitions come alive and relevant –through artist talks, workshops, tours, and community conversations. Having worked at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery since 2015, Elaine brings more than a decade’s experience of community engagement in Aotearoa and San Francisco. Prior, she mostly worked in the national USA public television network using documentary film to explore social justice issues.

Emma Glucina joins the team as Curatorial Assistant Len Lye. Emma assists with the management of the Len Lye Foundation Collection and Archive. She also provides curatorial support for exhibitions, and contributes to the development and delivery of associated public programmes, including Sense Art, the Gallery's inclusive programme for visitors with accessibility needs. Emma comes from a museum and art gallery background and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from The University of Auckland, Elam School of Fine Arts.

Paul Brobbel has been the Govett-Brewster’s Len Lye Curator since 2013, responsible for exhibitions, collection development, and scholarship around New Zealand's most internationally acclaimed artist. His writing on Len Lye is included in the recent publications ‘Len Lye: Motion Composer’ (Museum Tinguely) and ‘Keep it Moving’ (Getty Conservation Institute). He is the co-editor of the recent collection of essays, ‘The Long Dream of Waking’ (Canterbury University Press).

Image: (L-R) Megan Tamati-Quennell, Associate Indigenous Curator Contemporary Art; Hanahiva Rose, Assistant Curator Contemporary Art and Collections; Lisa Berndt, Curator Public Engagement; Elaine Rollins, Assistant Curator Public Engagement; Emma Glucina, Curatorial Assistant, Len Lye; and Paul Brobbel, Len Lye Curator.