Reyburn House – Historic Villa, Art Gallery & Shop
Northland Society of Arts
Nestled down at the iconic Town Basin in Whangarei, this lovingly restored historic villa houses some real delights. Home to the thriving Northland Society of Arts, who were established back in 1989, they continue to host exhibition space for artists to hire, along with a boutique shop filed with unique pieces of local artworks.
Following the Hatea River, and just a quick walk through our Heritage Rose gardens, you will find the Reyburn Art Studio. This creative space houses the Firebirds Ceramic group along with a main studio space where you can see creation happening or join classes and workshops.
Entry to the Gallery is free but a donation is always appreciated.
What’s on at the Gallery…
This month we have Five incredible Exhibitions!
Sandra Whyte – “The Art of Becoming Sandra Whyte”
Galleries 1 & 2
Sandra Whyte is a Northland based contemporary oil painter whose exhibition reflects a five year period of focused learning and artistic development. Returning to the fundamentals of traditional painting, she has worked across portraiture, still life and landscape, building the skills needed to paint with confidence across a wide range of subjects.
Her work explores the way paintings can hold moments in time, capturing the people we love, the objects we treasure and the places we remember. Through careful observation, thoughtful composition and a deep understanding of her materials, Sandra’s paintings reflect both discipline and the quiet joy of the creative process.
Sandra will also be working in the gallery later in the exhibition and will host a public Q&A session toward the end of the show.
Mary Jane Sneyd
Gallery 3
Mary Jane is a self-taught textile artist whose remarkably realistic stitched portraits are astonishing to encounter. Her work focuses largely on the human form, exploring faces, bodies and the quiet complexity of people through carefully layered fabric and stitching.
Before turning fully to textile art she had a career in science and medicine, and also spent around 30 years as a professional viola player. Her intricate works have been exhibited widely in New Zealand and internationally, and several pieces have appeared in books on art quilting.
Website: mjstextileart.com
Email: mjs.textileart@gmail.com
Anne Groufsky – “A Stitch in Time”
Gallery 3
Anne Groufsky’s work is inspired by traditional Japanese Boro textiles, where worn fabrics were carefully repaired and strengthened through generations of use. Drawing on this tradition, she works with layered fabrics and sashiko stitching, embracing the beauty of mending, reuse and the passage of time.
Her pieces reflect the quiet history held in cloth, where every patch, stitch and repair becomes part of the story of the object itself.
Darren Beaudene Hita – “I Am Alien”
Gallery 4
After an injury to his dominant hand, Beau began painting with his non-dominant hand, creating a body of work that feels spontaneous, playful and joyfully free. The result is a series of paintings full of curiosity and imagination, influenced by childhood creativity and a fascination with extraterrestrial worlds.
Tauraroa Area School
Gallery 5
We are always proud to host this talented group of young artists. Their energy and creativity bring something really special into the gallery each year, and it is always exciting to see the incredible work emerging from the students and the dedication of their teacher who makes the exhibition possible.
Beautiful works of art, well worth a visit!
Take the virtual tour !
Try a virtual tour from your own home. Works on mobile, tablet and through a browser on a PC or Mac.
Just choose a room and, using finger or mouse, move around a 360° room view. Zoom in and out, move left & right.
Happy viewing! Call in to see the real artworks when you can.
Support Reyburn House
Each year we run our very own ‘Calendar Competition’, this is a special exhibition where Northland artists are invited to show off their very best work for an opportunity to win one of the twelve prize placements. Their artwork is then made into a Calendar which Reyburn House sell to help fundraise.
Buying a calendar is such a great way to support us, the artists, and as an added bonus it helps you get to know who are the rising stars of art in Northland!
