Mr Shurrock Defends Decimal-Coin Designs

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31028, 6 April 1966, Page 18

Mr Shurrock Defends Decimal-Coin Designs

“You must excuse me; I'm an old fuddy-duddy as far as abstract work goes." Mr F A. Shurrock. well-known Christchurch sculptor, and one of the artists who submitted designs for the new decimal coinage, told members of the Association of Friends of the Canterbury Museum last evening. Mr Shurrock gave an address entitled “A Sculptor Speaks on Coin Designing,” which he illustrated with slides. “Some of the correspondents tn the newspapers have said that an eight-year-old could have produced better designs for the new coins,” Mr Shurrock said. “1 have heard that adults are a dumb lot. and not really with it: I only hone that someone will soon red : scover the adult ” Mr Shurrock said that when the comnetition was first outlined, more than 160 persons sent in 600 designs Nine of these artists were

asked to submit further entries “There were six pages of conditions.” he said. “I wonder whether the judges referred to these when they were looking at the final submissions? “My own designs were aimed at showing how the Maori and pakeha cultures have come close together. Each entry was submitted with a legend. This was one thing the general nublic were not made aware of—the motivation behind each design. “The worst feature of ail the criticism is the fact that the public were asked to comment on line drawings.” Mr Shurrock said. “These were not even the final drawings of the seulntors. The onlv valid way of lodging the entries would be to consider the plaster casts of each design. “A shaded drawing does not give any indication at all,” Sir Shurrock sdid.