Len Lye Centre - Timeline

TIMELINE

Len Lye Centre

February 1970: The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery opens.

March 1977: The Govett-Brewster holds the exhibition Len Lye: Kinetic Works – the first time Lye’s work is exhibited in New Zealand.

1980: Just before Len Lye’s death, arrangements are made to establish the Len Lye Foundation (to conserve, reproduce and promote the works of Len Lye), and Lye’s collection of work is sent to New Plymouth on the condition it is looked after and displayed appropriately. The Len Lye Foundation and New Plymouth City Council* sign a Deed of Trust. Under this, the foundation owns the Len Lye collection and archive, and the Council agrees to care for the collection through the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery.

December 2003: New Plymouth District Council* asks its Len Lye Working Party to develop a proposal for a Len Lye Centre to provide permanent access to the collection in New Plymouth, and also a funding partnerships proposal to identify the sources of capital funds for such a project. The aim is to establish New Plymouth District as the international home of Len Lye.

June 2004: NPDC approves the final strategy, ‘New Plymouth as the World Centre for Len Lye: Strategic Development and Implementation Plan’, including a proposal to develop a Len Lye Centre providing permanent access to the Len Lye collection, and instructs officers to identify a site, negotiate appropriate partnerships and raise external funds for this purpose.

2004: A new Deed of Relationship is signed between the Len Lye Foundation and NPDC, which builds on the partnership begun with the 1980 Deed of Trust and secures the Len Lye collection permanently in New Plymouth. It replaces the Len Lye Working Party with the Len Lye Committee as the ongoing decision-making body for the partnership.

October 2005: NPDC secures an option to buy the site on the corner of Devon Street West and Queen Street, next to the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, by paying a deposit to the property owner. This is the chosen site of the Len Lye Centre if the centre goes ahead.

27 June 2006: NPDC includes the Len Lye Centre in the Community Plan 2006-2016 provided that the capital cost is funded from external sources; and provision is made for annual net operating costs from year four of the 2006-2016 Community Plan, with an expectation that Council officers will minimise ratepayer input as much as possible.

31 July 2006: The site on the corner of Queen and Devon streets is acquired by NPDC.

February 2008: Announcement of $2 million worth of anonymous donations to create several Len Lye kinetic sculptures in New Plymouth – comprising a number of large, outdoor public sculptures and up to 20 smaller works for the future Len Lye Centre.

November 2008: The TSB Community Trust pledges $1 million for the Len Lye Centre.

June 2009: NPDC’s 2009-2019 Community Plan pushes construction of the Len Lye Centre out to the fourth year of the plan (2012/13), subject to fundraising. The annual net operating cost is reduced to half of a percent of rates.

June 2011: The Government announces a $4 million funding package over two years from the Regional Museums Policy, for capital construction costs for the Len Lye Centre.

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