So Many Ways to Say Hello Exhibition

Occasionally you get an opportunity to be part of something which changes the way you think about your hobby. Something which takes the contributions of a passionate group of people, and turns into a project we couldn’t have envisioned at the start. That is the joy of the project, you start on the journey not really knowing where it will take you. Then as you meet, discuss, and work on the images, the project takes on a life of its own. Thank you to the people who posed in the images, offered their insights and assistance. Together we have made something we can all be proud of.

The essence of the project is to celebrate cultural diversity by capturing up to 50 portraits of people not born in New Zealand. The project will do this through a collection of 24 by 36 inch prints, each will be accompanied by three or four sentences that sum up what the subject does and what motivated them to come to Manawatu. The bulk of the exhibition will be shown at Te Manawa, but the exhibition is so large that they will also be shown at Square Edge and the PN Library.

The group believes Building Bridges will deliver educational insights in to the community's unique cultures and ethnicities and offers opportunities for the advancement of cross-cultural understanding and future sociological enquiry.

In the lead up to the exhibition we were surprised to be contacted by the Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres and advised that the project had been awarded as a significant project in forwarding the aims of race relations in New Zealand. As part of this award Joris de Bres spoke at the opening of the exhibition.

Thanks to all have made it along so far, we hope you have enjoyed meeting the people that were captured in this project. We have enjoyed meeting you and hearing your stories.

For more information you can see the booklet here

There has also been a number of articles written about this, here are some of those shared online:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/your-manawatu/tribune/376264/Ways-of-saying-hello

https://manawatuheritage.pncc.govt.nz/item/a22460a0-28ba-4b76-8363-4e4dbd32f5cc

Once the exhibtion has been completed the collection will be gifted to the Ian Matheson City Archives.