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20 December 2001 |
Long-Serving Registrar Departs Gallery
After 18 years service, Gallery Registrar Anna Crighton, leaves the Robert McDougall Art Gallery to head the Christchurch City Council’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee.
Anna joined the Robert McDougall Art Gallery in the early eighties as assistant to the Director and went on to set up the Gallery’s registration systems. Since then, Anna has continued to be instrumental in the development and implementation of professional registration processes that will carry over to the operations of the new Christchurch Art Gallery opening in 2003.
Robert McDougall Art Gallery Acting Director, Neil Roberts, says, “Anna took over registration and built it up from nothing. Over the last two decades she has had a long association with the Gallery acting in a variety of capacities, including Treasurer of the Friends of the Gallery organisation and of course her involvement with the Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee which she will now chair."
In her capacity as a Christchurch City Councillor, Anna has acted as a high profile and knowledgeable advocate for the arts, highlighting the important role arts play in the community. She currently maintains significant involvement with the arts in Christchurch and is the Council representative for the Arts Centre of Christchurch, the Christchurch Heritage Trust and the Museum Trust Board.
Her experience at the Gallery plus considerable knowledge and involvement with the arts has culminated in her election to chair the Christchurch City Council’s newest standing committee; Arts, Culture and Heritage. Anna hopes the committee, “will help to achieve a better understanding for the public of all aspects of art in our lives. It is a significant and innovative initiative on the part of the Council to elevate arts, culture and heritage to the level of standing committee. I see this as recognition of the importance of art in our society.”Anna will leave the Gallery this week, but hopes to stay involved through interaction between the new Christchurch Art Gallery and the Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee, she says, “the Gallery will report to the Committee and I hope this will continue to foster a productive relationship.”
Director of Information at the Christchurch City Council, Simon Markham says, “the increased recognition of the arts by the Council represents a significant achievement and Anna has played a central role in getting arts, culture and heritage the title and focus of a full standing committee.”
The concept of an Arts Culture and Heritage Committee is a first regionally and nationally and sees Christchurch leading the way in regional arts policy. The committee’s terms of reference include all Christchurch libraries, the art gallery, “Our City”, “Heritage”, multicultural issues and policy, creative communities, artwork in public places, festivals and events.