Congratulations to the Teece Museum Curator, Terri Elder, who has secured a substantial Lottery Environment and Heritage grant to uncover and make accessible the wealth of historic artefacts representing 150 years of UC history, as part of the lead up to the 150th anniversary of the University in 2023. Terri’s application was supported by the School of Humanities and Creative Arts, the UC Foundation, the CCC Heritage Committee, and the Arts Centre of Christchurch. She believes the award reinforces the value of such preservation endeavours to the wider Christchurch community.
Founded in 1873, the original Canterbury College buildings were (and are) significant in the Christchurch landscape. The University of Canterbury cares for a number artefacts which relate specifically to the buildings, staff, and students of the original Canterbury College site (now known as the Arts Centre of Christchurch). Spread around campus, these artefacts celebrate and illustrate the history of both the University and the wider Christchurch community of which it is a part. The College was also home to many New Zealanders of international renown, including Ernest Rutherford, Rita Angus, Kate Shepherd and Āpirana Ngata. The impact of College staff and students on the development of Canterbury, and the nation at large, cannot be underestimated.
The many Canterbury College artefacts currently held in and around UC are often unidentified or lacking in context. This project aims to survey those artefacts, creating a database of images and information which can be made accessible to UC and the wider community. The project, which will be supervised by staff from the Teece Museum, will take 6 months and will offer opportunities for UC postgraduate students to participate in the survey process.
Terri says that, ‘Christchurch is extremely fortunate that the buildings of the original site survived the Canterbury earthquakes when so much of our shared history was lost. Uncovering the hidden Canterbury College gems and making them accessible to the wider community will be just one small way Christchurch can continue to take pride in our city and its achievements in conjunction with celebrating the history of UC.’
