Art & Design - Wellington Sculpture Trust

Protoplasm by Phil Price

Wellington is becoming known as a centre for works of contemporary public art. Much of this reputation is based on the many sculptures commissioned from leading artists by the Wellington Sculpture Trust.

The Trust, active since 1984, raises funds and selects a wide variety of art for particular sites. It has the full support of the Wellington City Council which makes the sites available, assists with funding and assumes ownership after completion.

Sculpture Areas

The sculptures are located in three separate areas of the city:

• the Botanic Garden
• the Central Business District and waterfront
• the area of Cobham Drive and Evans Bay near the airport.

There are five works in the Botanic Garden. They can be seen in a walk starting from near the Meteorological Office in Kelburn, or from the Rose Garden in the Botanical Garden. The works include pieces by Neil Dawson, Andrew Drummond, Mary-Louise Browne, Dennis O’Connor and Chris Booth.

Spinning Top by Robert Jahnke

The central city group is located in Civic Square (Neil Dawson’s iconic Ferns), the waterfront (Tanya Ashken’s Albatross and Len Lye’s Water Whirler), Post Office Square (Bill Culbert’s SkyBlues), and along Lambton Quay and Woodward St (Anton Parson’s Invisible City, Robert Janke’s Spinning Top and Jeff Thomson’s Shells).

Along Cobham Drive, Zephyrometer and Tower of Light welcome people into the city from the airport. The Trust plans to install four more sculptures between the airport and the Hataitai end of Cobham Drive in order to make a world-class wind sculpture walk.

For more information about the location and detail of the sculptures, or about the Trust, visit the Wellington Sculpture Trust website.

Related Links

• Wellington Sculpture Trust

Department Details:
Marketing