Christina Barton

Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington
Aotearoa, New Zealand

Educator

Over my career as an academic, I have devised and taught a range of courses in the history of art, from innovative foundation papers introducing first year students to the discipline of art history, to a full-year Honours’ seminar on art history methodology.

My specialist subject is the history of art in Aotearoa New Zealand, with a particular focus on art after 1960. I brought my research-led practice as a writer and curator to my teaching, showing students how to utilise primary resources, encouraging them to understand the contexts within which art is made and consumed, and enabling first-hand exposure to artists, curators, writers, exhibitions and collections.

I have run and participated in workshops for emerging curators and art writers. A career highlight was the four-week Summer Intensive I conceived and ran in 2017 in Auckland and Wellington that enabled twelve students and emerging professionals to learn about researching, writing and curating and saw us co-create a publication of original art writing and producing a small exhibition that drew on the Art Collection at Victoria University of Wellington.

I have extensive experience as a public speaker and am convinced of the importance of conveying my enthusiasm and knowledge in ways that are informative and galvanising. I have supervised several Masters and Doctoral theses, and am especially pleased to have played a part in the education of several cultural leaders.

I am currently Adjunct Professor at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington and Researcher-at-large at Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery.

For further information about my teaching and public talks see my full CV [pdf].

Curator’s tour, Billy Apple® The Artist Has to Live Like Everybody Else, Auckland Art Gallery, 2015