Deco delights at MTG Hawke’s Bay
MTG Hawke’s Bay is all set for next month’s Art Deco Festival, hosting several exciting musical events and offering visitors a chance to check out a new exhibition dedicated to Deco.
The thousands of visitors and locals who flock to Napier for the annual festival can also enjoy a free visit to the museum, which is having a busy summer – more than 10,000 people through the doors last week alone.
MTG’s new Art Deco exhibition, Tender is the Night, takes its name from the 1934 novel by the infamous yet ultimately doomed author F Scott Fitzgerald. It offers a glimpse into his world, and examines the life and times of the “lost generation” – young people who lived through World War I and lost faith and belief in traditional values, or suffered from “survivors’ guilt”.
Social History Curator Gail Pope says the result was many young people feeling ‘lost’, living for the moment, with an almost manic determination to party.
“This exhibition offers some thought-provoking commentary about the era’s influences. It also features beautiful vintage fashion and memorabilia including historic film footage.”
Kids can also enjoy some Deco fun at the museum, with the weekend Drop-in Zone featuring Deco dress-ups, craft activities and more throughout February.
Also well worth checking out is the 1931 Hawke’s Bay Earthquake exhibition, which explores the devastating day of 3 February 1931 when the earthquake happened, and its aftermath.
The exhibition features a Survivors’ Stories documentary, which contains the personal accounts of some of those who lived through the earthquake and the years of re-building following the disaster.
Renowned architect J.A Louis Hay’s legacy lives on in the many buildings he designed in Napier, so you can take a self-guided walking tour around the inner city starting with the historic steps on Herschell Street, which were once the entrance to the museum. Trail brochures are available for just $3 from the MTG shop.
