Art for Hearts Sake -art auction for Rotorua Museum Exhibition Development Project

We are now approximately 40% of the way through reconstruction of the Museum. 

The build project is tracking on time and within budget and the Exhibition Development Project Steering Group has recommended Council accept the Concept Design for the new exhibitions. A decision is expected at the 11 June Council meeting. If approved, the project will progress to the next stage of developed design.  

The museum staff continue to look for sources of funding to complete the next phases of the exhibition project.  Ray White Real Estate have kindly donated 30+ original artworks from a deceased estate, for auction, with proceeds going to The Friends of the Museum. 

You can help us fund the new exhibition development work with the purchase of original artworks at auction. 

Bring your credit card and pocket some original art for your home or to gift to friends and family.

Artworks by:

Feature Artist Alan W Johnson

Born in the UK, Alan began his working life as a builder and, in his late teens, spent 13 weeks helping construct the set of Coronation Street. A formative time, made all the more memorable by mingling with some of the original cast members.

Later, Alan moved to New Zealand with his wife and two children. Although that marriage ended, he found love again and had three more children. A talented builder and valuer, Alan also gave back to his community, contributing to groups such as the Rotorua Japanese Society and the Waiotapu School Trust. Outside of these commitments, he led a quiet life, but one rich in creativity. Alan dabbled in art throughout his years, but it wasn’t until retirement that he fully embraced his passion. Painting became his world—alongside a love for writing and poetry that often accompanied his visual

work. In 2023, Alan passed away after a brief illness and time in Cantabria. When his home was sold to an investor,

it remained untouched—containing over 400 of his artworks. In a generous and heartfelt gesture, half of

these pieces were donated to the Ray White Charity initiative.

Though it’s said that his family didn’t connect with his artistic style, we’re reminded of an eternal truth:

Art is subjective. And beauty, always, is in the eye of the beholder.

Artist Mark K Venables

Mark Kemp Venables (1917–2003) was a New Zealand artist and educator whose work bridged wartime experience and postwar creativity. Born in Napier, he served in the Pacific during World War II with the Medical Corps, capturing scenes of military life in watercolour. After the war, he studied at Canterbury College School of Art, graduating in 1949. Venables taught art in Hastings and Auckland, including at Auckland Technical Institute, and exhibited with the Auckland Society of Arts. His works, often landscapes and portraits, reflect a disciplined yet expressive style. Venables’ legacy endures through his contributions to New Zealand’s artistic and educational landscape.

Artist Margaret Rhodes

Margaret Rhodes (1921–2018) was a New Zealand artist celebrated for her evocative watercolours and printmaking. Born in Motueka, she actively exhibited with the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts from the 1950s through the 1980s and participated in Canterbury Society of Arts shows in 1959, 1967, and 1972. Her works often captured the natural beauty of New Zealand, such as the ‘View from Old Scheelite Mine, Glenorchy’ . Rhodes’s art has been featured in numerous auctions, with over 40 recorded sales, reflecting sustained interest in her work . Her legacy endures through her contributions to New Zealand’s artistic heritage.

Artist Johanna Ward

Johanna is a New Zealand artist whose colourful paintings are now part of many New Zealanders lives - generally she has lived close to the sea, from McAndrew Bay when she attended Otago University in the early 1970’s, the

Marlborough Sounds, Waiheke Island, Nelson, Raumati Beach and now Golden Bay. Her works show her love and

enjoyment of New Zealand and its natural features - her works are full of colour and life.