Rhana Devenport
Rhana Devenport ONZM is an Australian-born art curator and museum professional. She is currently director of the Art Gallery of South Australia and was previously director of the Auckland Art Gallery.[1]
Career
Devenport began her career as an art and theatre teacher, and a practicing artist.[2] From 1994 to 2004 she was senior project officer with the Asia Pacific Triennial at the Queensland Art Gallery.[3] She was visual arts manager with the Sydney Festival in 2004, an independent curator, curator in residence at Artspace, Auckland for three months in 2005, manager of public programmes and publications with the Biennale of Sydney in 2005-2006.[3][4]
In 2006 Devenport was appointed as director of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth in 2006.[5] In this role she led the fundraising effort for the development of the Len Lye Centre.[5] She was appointed director of the Auckland Art Gallery in 2013.[2]
In 2015 Devenport took part in the second annual Global Museum Leaders Colloquium, held at the Metropolitan Museum.[6]
In 2015 Devenport curated New Zealand artist Lisa Reihana's video work In Pursuit of Venus [infected] at Auckland Art Gallery. Reihana has been selected to present this work as New Zealand's representative at the 2017 Venice Biennale with Devenport as the curator for the presentation.[7]
In July 2018 it was announced that Devenport would leave the Auckland Art Gallery to become director of the Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide in October 2018.[8]
Awards
In 2018 Devenport was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Years Honours List, for services to arts governance.[9]
Publications
As editor and/or contributor:
- Lisa Reihana: In pursuit of Venus, Auckland: Auckland Art Gallery, 2015. ISBN 9780864633019
- Groundworks / Bill Culbert, New Plymouth: Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, 2013. ISBN 9780908848720
- Laurence Aberhart: Recent Taranaki Photographs: Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, 2012. ISBN 9780908848539[10]
- Peter Robinson : snow ball blind time, New Plymouth: Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, 2010[11]
- Alex Monteith : accelerated geographies, New Plymouth: Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, 2010. ISBN 9780908848645
- Lisa Reihana: Digital Marae, New Plymouth: Govett Brewster Art Gallery, 2007. ISBN 9780908848324
References
- "Directors". Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- Hewitson, Michele (3 August 2013). "Michele Hewitson interview: Rhana Devenport". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- "New Auckland Art Gallery director named". NBR. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- Clifford, Andrew. "NZ a country hungry for art". nzherald.co.nz. NZME. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- Keith, Leighton (14 May 2015). "Praise as Devenport wins plum Auckland gallery job". Taranaki Daily News. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- "15 International Museum Leaders to Convene for Metropolitan Museum's Second Global Museum Leaders Colloquium in April 2015". Metropolitan Museum. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- "2017 Venice Biennale: New Zealand's artist and curator announced". Creative New Zealand. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- "Rhana Devenport to Lead Art Gallery of South Australia". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
- "Rhana Jean Devenport". New Year Honours 2018 - Citations for Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- "Laurence Aberhart Recent Taranaki Photographs | Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre". govettbrewster.com. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
- "Snow ball blind time". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
Further information
- Sue Gardiner, 'A gender question; women take top jobs', Art News New Zealand, Summer 2013.
- Frances Morton, 'The enthusiastic Australian', Metro, July/August 2013.
- Taryn Utiger, 'Gallery 'will always draw me back, Taranaki Daily News, 21 May 2013
- Michelle Sutton, 'New gallery director focuses on audiences as much as art', Taranaki Daily News, 20 May 2006.