Supporting the Aigantighe in the interest of maintaining the excellence of South Canterbury’s only public art museum for over 40 years

Welcome to the Friends website. We are volunteers, dedicated to encouraging interest in the visual arts. We play a major role in supporting the Aigantighe, ultimately helping to grow a love of the arts in our community. Our members participate in exhibition openings and extend the work of the Gallery through special projects from the restoration of artworks to the acquisition of artworks to inspire our community

We offer support to the gallery by:

  • Supporting special exhibition openings each year by providing refreshments, gourmet catering and entertainment
  • Assisting with printing costs for a newsletter and invitations to Friends’ sponsored openings
  • Donating prizes for special exhibitions and school holiday programmes
  • Fundraising in addition to funds obtained from subscriptions
  • Accepting donations as a Registered Charity (Cc42952)
  • Purchasing artwork for the permanent collection
  • Sponsoring the conservation and restoration of art work
  • Supporting gallery outreach with outdoor art reproductions and their stories
  • Advocating for TDC art gallery planning and House Gallery restoration
  • Supporting heritage House Gallery restoration

With the unexpected demands of restoring the Heritage House Gallery, the Friends have stepped up their support role for gallery activites and administering community funding. Learn more here.

This has involved extensive Council planning to which the Friends have become strong advocates to both the restoration and future options for the gallery. Learn more here