Miharo Wonder exhibition opens 26 February 2021

Miharo Wonder is an exhibition that celebrates the many treasures collected in the 100 years of the Alexander Turnbull Library. It celebrates a selected 200 rare treasures and curious artefacts, part of New Zealand’s world class collection of heritage items.

From well-known paintings to the most obscure of jottings, they reflect moments in time and give insights to place, culture and people’s lives.

Putting together an exhibition that celebrates 100 years of collecting and does justice to the sheer extent of those collections is a challenge.

“We could have favoured the most popular items, or we could have chosen them on a chronological basis or by monetary value. Instead, wonder was our yardstick.”

A mammoth selection task, curators Fiona Oliver and Peter Ireland have chosen from a wealth of content. “The items chosen declared themselves to our eye, heart and mind. We know they’ll speak to yours too.”

Chris Szekely, Chief Librarian of the Alexander Turnbull Library acknowledges the role the Turnbull Endowment Trust and Te Puna Foundation have played in bringing this exhibition to the public. “The Trust and Foundation have collaborated to enable this celebratory exhibition of our centenary. In it you’ll see evidence of everyday people making sense of the world around them.”

Proudly seed funded by the Turnbull Endowment Trust, with co-funding from the Te Puna Foundation, this exhibition is free to the public.

Miharo Wonder opens at the National Library,

70 Molesworth Street, Wellington.

From 26 February Mon to Fri — 9am to 5pm | Sat — 9am to 1pm

Mark Beatty, ATL