Vision & Values
Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery is the purpose-built public art gallery of Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
The Gallery is a forum for research, dialogue and critical thinking across media, disciplines, cultures and contexts. Since its establishment in 1999, the Gallery has presented a highly-regarded programme of exhibitions, events and publications for staff and students of the University and the wider public.
We are a university-wide resource where different disciplines meet; a platform where audiences come together, in a striking building that responds to the topography of our Kelburn campus location in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, the capital of Aotearoa New Zealand.
We pride ourselves on supporting artists to develop ambitious new projects and on our curated exhibitions that offer new, timely, and critical insights into art and its histories. We believe in art’s potential to mirror, reflect, and act on the issues and concerns that galvanise society in all its complexity and dissension. We seek to engage with art to deepen understanding, expand knowledge and create powerful experiences.
Adam Art Gallery manages the Ngā Puhipuhi o Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington Art Collection, a nationally significant collection of New Zealand art built over many decades to enrich the physical environs of the University and represent the recent history of art in Aotearoa New Zealand. This resource is on display in the public spaces of the University where students and staff encounter it daily.
We manage the New Zealand Art Research & Study Centre which houses the New Zealand Art Archive, a collection of books, catalogues, journals, theses, images, and archival materials built through the work of the Gallery and our academic colleagues in Art History. We offer a range of opportunities for students through our volunteer and internship programmes, and we provide a range of public talks, tours, seminars, workshops and lectures.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery recognises Te Tiriti o Waitangi as Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding document.
As part of Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, we abide by the University’s Te Tiriti o Waitangi Statute. We are committed to working in a way that nurtures relationships with Tangata Whenua and embodies the principles of rangatiratanga (self-determination), mahi tahi (active partnership) with Tangata Whenua, whai wāhi (participation) and kaitiakitanga (protection) through our programming, learning opportunities and relationships with audiences.
Safe Space
Adam Art Gallery strives to be an open and safe space where all are made welcome. This means visitors, staff and volunteers are kept physically safe; racial, cultural, sexual, religious, and gender differences are respected, and those with disabilities are enabled.
Harmful behaviour – including racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, sexually inappropriate or otherwise offensive behaviour; inappropriate or excessive use of alcohol; failing to respect the emotional safety of others; verbal or physical harassment – will be acknowledged, guarded against and addressed should it occur.
If you have concerns, or wish to learn more about the Gallery’s Safer Spaces policy, we encourage you to get in touch with our Communications Coordinator kate.lepper@vuw.ac.nz.