TheNewDowse announces new Senior Curator

PRESS RELEASE:
For Immediate Release, 30 July 2010

TheNewDowse announces new Senior Curator

Cam McCracken, Director of TheNewDowse art museum, today announced the appointment of Emma Bugden as the gallery’s new Programmes Manager / Senior Curator. Emma is currently Director of Artspace in Auckland and will complete her term there before commencing at TheNewDowse in March 2011.

TheNewDowse appointment marks a return to Wellington for Emma, who was a curator at City Gallery Wellington from 2002-2006, and follows the departure of Claire Regnault, formerly TheNewDowse Concept Development Manager, now Senior Curator, History at Te Papa.

Well respected within the arts community, Emma has a reputation as one of New Zealand’s most innovative and influential curators.

“I am excited to take up this opportunity at TheNewDowse,” says Emma, “I have a particular interest in developing audiences; invigorating and deepening the connection a public may experience with a gallery. I am also interested in creating a programme that demonstrates a strong artistic vision.”

At Artspace, Emma has been key in the development of a new exhibition programme and was a major contributor to its strategic direction. Exhibitions under her reign have included: Daniel Knorr and Prisoners of New Zealand: Block; Alicia Frankovich: A Planes of Behaviour; Cao Fei: Utopia (with IMA, toured to DPAG and TheNewDowse); Richard Maloy: Raw Attempts. Prior to Artspace, Emma was Curatorial Director at Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts in Manukau City from April 2006 – October 2008. Key exhibitions there included Artur Zmijewski: a survey; Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Fairytales, mythology and the occult ; Land Wars ; Arts Society: Judy Darragh; Sweet Punch: recent Nordic video (group); and F for Fake.

While at City Gallery Wellington, Emma was responsible for a number of major exhibitions including the survey exhibition Prospect 2004: New Art New Zealand. She also worked with the national art collection to co-curate Small World, Big Town: contemporary art from Te Papa.

Between 2000 and 2002, Emma was Director of The Physics Room in Christchurch. She has also worked on a range of publications and established two artist run spaces, Black Cube in Christchurch and Honeymoon Suite in Dunedin.

ENDS