A memorable trip that deepened our understanding of New Zealand’s culture and the evolution of art, written by Erryn Noordhoek.

Our trip to Auckland Art Museum was an amazing experience for us to learn and bond. We began our visit at ‘Ngā Taonga Tūturu’ where we were introduced to Treasured Māori portraits.

This gave us not only a deeper understanding and connection with New Zealand's culture but also an opportunity for us to understand composition and how paintings are traditionally arranged to draw attention to and convey a certain feeling. We then toured through ‘Threads of Time’ which showed us how art has developed and changed over time through historical and technological advances.

Finally, the ‘Paths to Modernity’ expo interested us the most with its more abstract and less photorealistic paintings showcasing Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism, and Surrealism. We had the rare chance to see real work by famous artists such as Monet, Cézanne, and Picasso.

We brought our sketchbooks with us and made quick drafts of paintings that caught our interest to better understand the ‘why’ behind the development of an idea and the techniques used. Even after we had left the museum, everyone couldn't stop talking about the paintings or artists that had caught their attention and how they wanted to incorporate these new ideas, concepts, and styles into their own works this year.

We left with some great memories, new teachings and felt excited for the year ahead (Henry, our History Hen, also gave the trip a 5/5 star review).

A big thank you to our parent volunteer drivers, Emma and Jasmijn!