Students discover inspiration in Auckland’s museums and galleries
Posted on September 22, 2025
A day of discovery and inspiration awaited Macleans College’s Year 13 Textiles and Art students as they set out on a creative research trip in Auckland.
From hidden museum archives to modern masterpieces, the experience offered new perspectives to fuel their design work.
The journey began at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, where students explored the Origins and Weird and Wonderful exhibitions. These collections provided visual and conceptual material to inform their character design project.
A highlight of the visit was an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour led by Mrs Carol, a museum photographer. In the photography studio, she demonstrated how artefacts are documented and explained the role of photography in preserving stories and historical context. Students then visited the museum’s basement collections, gaining rare access to part of its 6.5 million stored items, which ranged from taxidermy to treasured taonga.
The group continued to the Auckland Art Gallery, where they explored the Century of Modern Art exhibition. Iconic modernist works offered opportunities to study abstraction, symbolism and changes in visual language that aligned with their creative inquiries.
The trip was both inspiring and thought-provoking. It reminded students that the power of storytelling in the arts is deeply connected to history, culture and observation.
