MY CHOICE: Niki Vernon / March 2023
March 2023: Niki Vernon
Each month a member of our community is invited to browse our online collection and select six of their favourite artworks. Each My Choice selection, together with personal responses to the works, will be available to view on the Sarjeant Gallery website for one month at a time. The March 2023 My Choice has been selected by Niki Vernon and is available to view until 31 March, 2023.
Niki Vernon is a financial advocate and community supporter based here in Whanganui. Born in Raglan, Niki has now fully adopted Whanganui as her home and loves it. By day, Niki is the founder and director of Money Poppins, working with artists and small enterprises – helping with the nitty gritty of running a business.
In addition to Money Poppins, Niki is involved with voluntary work, so it comes as no surprise that she was the Whanganui Chronicle runner-up Person of the Year in 2022. She is passionate about supporting the arts, artists, and the community in which she lives.
See Niki’s selections on our Explore the Collection ‘My Choice Exhibition Series’ highlight here and below:
Peter Peryer, Edward Bullmore’s Launch, 1993 (1993/16/3)
“Peter Peryer is my favourite photographer and will always hold a special place in my heart, but I’m also loving some of the new photographers who are emerging now.
We used to have an old boat like this one that we all learned to ski behind. We would launch it from the landing at Te Uku near Raglan, just below our farm. After we sold the farm and took the boat to Auckland, Dad gave it to a builder who used it for fishing. I imagine it ended up sitting somewhere like this.”
Gretchen Albrecht, Seajourneys (Tristan & Iseult Panels) No. 2, 1978 (1980/12/2)
“I wish I could afford a “Gretchen painting” (as I call them) like this. Perhaps one day when I win the Lotto.”
Don Driver, Bird in Boots, 1981 (L2002/1/3)
“I love Don Driver’s sense of humour. My father was a big fan of his work, and I believe that if my father had been an artist, his work would have been similar. There’s a quirky sense of humour engineered in Driver’s pieces that really speaks to me.”
Allen Maddox, Untitled, 1970-2000 (L1998/40/39)
“I love this work. I have these memories of artists like Philip Clairmont, Tony Fomison, and Allen Maddox, all of whom have passed away. It makes me wonder what would have become of them if they had continued to produce work.”
Philip Clairmont, Mangamahu 1981, No Tour, 1981 (1982/15/1)
“I was 18 years old in 1981, which was a big year with a lot of protests. I couldn’t understand why anyone would want the rugby tour to happen. It divided families and communities. I remember going into the Raglan RSA, and the place was split into two halves. I’ve seen similar divisions with COVID-19. Today, I don’t think anyone would believe that the tour would have gone ahead like it did back then.”
Denys Watkins, Whispering Hope, 1975 (1981/6/1)
“State houses, I love them! Solid dependable housing. Build more please!”
Category
Past Exhibitions 2023
