Helen Kedgley acknowledged for life of art
Helen Kedgley (BA in Political Science, 1969) is one of New Zealand’s most creative and outstanding curators and art museum directors and a strong advocate for Māori, Pasifika and indigenous art.
Helen has worked at Pataka Art Museum in Porirua since its inception in 1998, most recently as its director.
During that time, she has curated over 80 exhibitions of Māori, Pacific Island and contemporary New Zealand art, many of which have toured nationally and internationally, including Toi Māori–The Eternal Thread, which toured throughout the United States.
Since she took on the role of director in 2013, Pataka as enjoyed record visitor numbers, surpassing all other metropolitan galleries in the Wellington region.
A graduate of Victoria University, Massey University, the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts and Ecole du Louvre in Paris, Helen has considerable international experience in the arts.
International museum work includes the Science Museum, Oxford, England and The National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
As a painter, Helen has participated in numerous exhibitions in France, England, India and Zimbabwe. She is a member of Victoria University’s Advisory Group for the Museum and Heritage Studies programme, a board member of the Wellington Sculpture Trust and was a member of the Creative New Zealand Arts Council (2010–2014). She has been invited to judge numerous art awards both in New Zealand and overseas.
Helen was awarded one of six Victoria Distinguished Alumni Awards at the annual celebration dinner on June 18, 2015. See more here.