This exhibition brings together a selection of works from the Eastern Southland Gallery’s permanent collection, by respected New Zealand printmaker Marilynn Webb (1937 - 2021). Included are works from the Mataura Valley, In Hodges’ Wake and Waitaki Unplugged Series.

 

Of Nga Puhi descent, Marilynn Webb was born in Auckland and grew up in Opotiki in the Bay of Plenty. A pioneer of printmaking in New Zealand, Webb has exhibited her work nationally and internationally since the 1960’s. In 1974 she moved to Dunedin to take up a Frances Hodgkins Fellowship at the University of Otago. Since that time her work focused on New Zealand’s southern wilderness areas. Her tonal, moody prints and pastels reflect the atmosphere of the land, making us aware that we are a part of it and drawing us into the environmental and social issues surrounding it. From the late 1990’s much of this work was with the support of the Department of Conservation, providing her with access to many of southern New Zealand’s most secluded and inaccessible areas. 

 

Webb’s distinguished teaching career included roles as art advisor, art teacher, and Emeritus Lecturer at the Otago Polytechnic School of Art, where she lectured in printmaking from 1988-2008. In 2000 she became an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit for her contribution to printmaking in New Zealand and in 2011 was awarded Ngā Tohu a Tā Kīngi Ihaka from Te Waka Toi in recognition of a lifetime contribution to nga toi Māori.