2015 past exhibitionsNgā whakaaturanga 2015

Information about Te Papa’s past exhibitions that opened in 2015. Including DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition, Contraception: Uncovering the collection of Dame Margaret Sparrow and The Canterbury earthquakes.

Remember: The Canterbury earthquakes

Dates: 20 Feb – 27 Sep 2015
Cost: Free entry

On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the Canterbury region – the second of two major quakes within a seven-month period. Four years on, Christchurch city remained in transition.

What can a city be in the 21st century? How does a community both rebuild and remember? In this exhibition we invited you to remember those who lost their lives. We also celebrated the resilience and creativity of those working to overcome adversity, and re-imagine the future.

Contraception: Uncovering the collection of Dame Margaret Sparrow

Dates: 29 May 2015 – 20 Jan 2016
Cost: Free entry

The hidden history of birth control in New Zealand – from folk remedies to diaphragms and 21st-century implants – was uncovered in this exhibition. Visitors were able to view the pill that sparked the sexual revolution and scan 80 years of creative condom packaging. They were also invited to take a close look at the most reliable – and risky – IUDs.

Reliable contraception is one of the most life-changing inventions of all time. This exhibition included a video interview with Dame Margaret Sparrow, a doctor who guided hundreds of New Zealanders through birth control decisions from the 1960s on.

New Zealand Photography Collected

Dates: 6 Nov 2015 – 7 Aug 2016
Cost: Free entry

This exhibition brought hundreds of rare and fascinating photographs out of Te Papa’s storerooms and onto the gallery walls. From 19th-century portraits to family snapshots, dramatic landscapes to modern art photography, this inspiring exhibition included works by luminaries such as Alfred Burton, Brian Brake, Marti Friedlander, Laurence Aberhart, Anne Noble, and Gavin Hipkins.

The exhibition coincided with the major book New Zealand Photography Collected, written by Te Papa curator Athol McCredie and published by Te Papa Press.

DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition

Dates: 12 Dec 2015 – 28 Mar 2016
Cost: Admission charges

From the studio that brought you the animated classics Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda comes an exhibition exclusive to Te Papa in New Zealand – a behind-the-scenes celebration of 20 years of DreamWorks Animation!

DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition featured over 400 items, including rare concept drawings, models, interviews, and original artworks. Adults and kids could get creative with real animation tools, and soar above the clouds in the immersive Dragon Flight experience from How to Train Your Dragon.

Lose yourself in the extraordinary worlds created by DreamWorks’ award-winning artists, and travel with your favourite characters from first sketch through to final creation.