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