About the Blumhardt Foundation

The Blumhardt Foundation was established in 2003 to realise the desire of founder Dame Doreen Blumhardt to use her collection and estate to further the collection and the development of New Zealand’s craft/object art during and beyond her lifetime

The Foundation recognises that studio craft in Aotearoa New Zealand is ever-evolving and nourished by the mana of multiple cultures and making traditions. The Foundation comprises a small number of voluntary Trustees. It works principally by creating and resourcing a number of strategic partnerships that it believes will assist the growth and development of the sector.

Our Current Partners

The Dowse Art Museum

  • The Blumhardt Gallery.
  • The Blumhardt Collection.
  • The Blumhardt Fund.

The Otago Museum

  • The Blumhardt Fund.

The Suter Art Gallery

  • The Blumhardt Fund.

Whanganui Regional Museum

  • The Blumhardt Fund.

Creative New Zealand

  • Curatorial professional development in the craft/object art field.
  • Project support for one-off foundation initiatives.

The National Library

  • The Blumhardt Collection - of letters, books, papers, photographs and oral archives relating to Dame Doreen Blumhardt.
  • The Blumhardt Foundation Archive.

News

The Blumhardt Foundation is delighted to announce a $10,000 grant towards the establishment of a multicultural arts centre celebrating the life and work of internationally renown potter Mirek Smíšek. The centre will be known as The Kilns at Te Horo and the funds provided will be used to purchase equipment for the Potter in Residence studio. The Kilns look forward to opening toward the end of 2023 and all Trustees were proud to support the venture and acknowledge that Doreen was a passionate educator and associate of Mirek’s and would be delighted that her legacy would support such an exciting venture as this.

Mirek Smíšek decorating a pot with onlooker
The Kilns in their new location 2022

Trustees

  • Emma Bugden (Chair)
  • Katherine Smyth
  • Lily Hacking
  • Milly Mitchell-Anyon (Deputy Chair)
  • Philip Clarke, (Ngāti Awa)
  • Suzanne Blumhardt (Treasurer)
  • Bronwyn Lloyd (Secretary)
  • Isaac Te Awa, (Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu, Waitaha, Ngāpuhi)
Emma Bugden
Katherine Smyth (Photo Amber-Jayne Bain)
Lily Hacking
Milly Mitchell-Anyon
Suzanne Blumhardt
Bronwyn Lloyd
Isaac Te Awa
Philip Clarke

Logos/Downloads

See the Downloads page for a selection of downloadable logos and other files.