Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price ld. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1886. His Excellency and the Fine Arts.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1894, 8 October 1886, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price ld. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1886. His Excellency and the Fine Arts.

Last Thursday afternoon at Wellington, His Excellency the Governor opened the fourth exhibition ef the Fine Arts Association, and in the course of bis opening speech suggested that attention should be turned to the selection of a site on which eventually all buildings which might be the habitation of the fine arts institutions of this part of the colony might be concentrated. He would, he said, prefer to see a place in which, as in some of the continental cities and' the comparatively smaller towns of England, the fine arts institution, picture gallery, museum and free library .were collected together, where the popular culture of the people might be nursed and might be afforded full scope. Though this could not be accomplished at once, the Association could choose its site, formulate its plans, and form some idea as to the aims of the institution, and to what it might ultimately attain. Situated as New Zealand is, it was quite out of the question that the Association should look to the General Government for support, Considering the configuration of the colony, it was not to bo expected that any one city, which was but one of four of about equal magnitude, should have a place in which everything should be focussed. In Australia there were [in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide, picture galleries, art galleries, libraries, &c., but such efforts must be made in New Zealand by a kind of federal arrange* ment —Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin each having its own centre. In Auckland a great deal had been done by private efforts. The bequest of the late Mr Costley had given rise to the erection of a fine pile of buildings. Then Mr M’Kelvie, who had made bis money in Auckland, had given some very fine pictures, which would form the nucleus of an art gallery. Great efforts had been made by private individuals in Christchurch and Dunedin, such as, he believed, were entirely wanting in this part of the country. None, he understood, of those who had made money in Wellington—who had been nursed in the colony—had as yet contributed their quota to the attainment of the popular culture that he was advocating. Therefore he urged upon the Association to lay down some plan by which it v .tld achieve the ultimato object of getting their various institutions focussed in one spot. They should have some idea, when erecting one building, that it was part of o general whole, and they should further urge those who made money in the to contribute towards the attainment of this desirable object. It is to be hoped that the suggestion made by his Excellency '.ear fruit. Wellington has allowed the other provinces to outruu it in the encouragement of art, its wealthy men not having contributed towards its attainment as in other places.