Auckland Society of Arts
A historic Auckland community art society that supported exhibitions, artist membership, education, and public engagement from the nineteenth century until its eventual winding-up.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Auckland Society of Arts was a New Zealand community art organisation active in Auckland from its formation in 1870 until the society was formally wound up in 2004. It was the first community art society established in New Zealand and one of the earliest organisations of its kind in Australasia. The society brought together more than 2,000 local and national artists over the course of its existence, providing a platform for exhibitions, sales, professional networking, lectures, studio activity, and public discussion of art. The organisation began as the Society of Artists, Auckland. Its first meeting was held in the office of Henry Partington in Queen Street, Auckland, with sixteen people attending. Seven participants formed the initial committee, chaired by James Baber, and the group worked toward its first exhibition in March 1871. During its early years the society developed a broad understanding of artistic practice. Its exhibition policy covered both fine and applied art, rather than restricting participation to a narrow definition of academic painting. This inclusive approach helped accommodate painting, drawing, sculpture, craft, decorative work, design, and other forms of visual production. In 1880 the organisation adopted the name Auckland Society of Arts. The reorganisation followed disagreements over committee management, communication with members, and the balance between an exclusive fine-arts body and a more open community society. The revised structure divided members into honorary and working categories, established elected officers and a larger committee, and encouraged artists from outside Auckland to submit work. Working members were generally expected to contribute an original work to an annual exhibition, while members received access to exhibitions, lectures, social events, and other facilities. The society also used art unions and exhibition sales to support artists and encourage public collecting. Annual exhibitions became the organisation’s most visible activity. The first exhibition under the reorganised society was held at Auckland’s Choral Hall in April 1881. It included paintings, watercolours, sketches, designs, craft objects, models, and a loan collection of works. The event attracted public attention, generated sales for local artists, and helped establish the society as a significant cultural institution in Auckland. In later years the society presented a substantial programme, averaging about fourteen exhibitions in a typical year. These included group exhibitions, solo shows, and themed exhibitions. Exhibitions were held at several Auckland locations, including Coburg Street and 4 Eden Crescent, while solo exhibitions also took place in Eden Terrace galleries. The society developed facilities intended to make artistic activity part of everyday membership. By the mid-twentieth century, its spaces included exhibition galleries, club rooms, a library of art publications, a picture-hire service, and a basement studio equipped with an etching press and storage. Members could attend private views, talks, film evenings, luncheon lectures, life-drawing groups, landscape-painting gatherings, and painting trips. The picture library enabled members of the public to borrow artworks for a monthly fee and later purchase works they had rented. Social events, including art balls, complemented the society’s educational and exhibition functions. Women played an important role in the society as exhibiting artists, committee participants, and office-holders. A Ladies Committee was established in the nineteenth century, and women represented more than half of the artists shown in the society’s 1951 exhibition. Artists associated with the society included Ivy Margaret Copeland, Frances Irwin Hunt, and Peggy Spicer. Copeland combined teaching with painting and held a solo exhibition of ninety-six original works in 1951. Spicer, a member for forty-eight years, became known for her depictions of historic Auckland and organised a weekly sketching group during the 1960s. The organisation also advocated for artists in public policy debates. In the 1950s it challenged the treatment of art unions as equivalent to lotteries and criticised the Post and Telegraph Department’s approach to selecting New Zealand stamp designs, arguing that local artists should receive meaningful commissioned opportunities. The society participated in the Auckland Arts Festival from 1951, and its work was presented through Auckland Art Gallery as part of the festival in 1952. After more than a century of exhibitions and community activity, the society’s active period ended in 1984, although its formal winding-up did not occur until 2004. Its records and historical significance remain part of Auckland’s art history.
History
The Auckland Society of Arts emerged from Auckland’s developing nineteenth-century cultural community. Its first meeting took place in 1870 in Henry Partington’s Queen Street office. Sixteen people attended, and seven became the founding committee. James Baber served as chairman and John Symons as secretary, with Edward Bartley, William Eastwood, I. S. Hall, Thomas Warner, and Frederick William Wright also listed among the initial committee members. The group worked toward an exhibition in March 1871 and was initially known as the Society of Artists, Auckland. The society’s early purpose was not limited to professional painting. An 1880 discussion described a field encompassing fine and applied art, reflecting the organisation’s interest in both aesthetic and practical forms of creativity. In August and October 1880, the society underwent a significant reorganisation. The name Auckland Society of Arts was adopted, new governance arrangements were established, and membership was divided between honorary and working members. The changes followed criticism of the earlier committee’s administration and concerns that the original body was too exclusive. The revised society sought support from public figures, civic leaders, clergy, businesspeople, and wealthy households while presenting itself as more inclusive of art and craft. The first exhibition under the new structure opened at Choral Hall on 6 April 1881. It included New Zealand landscapes, paintings of overseas subjects, youth watercolours, sketches, lace, baskets, wax flowers, clay models, and a substantial loan collection. The event demonstrated the society’s dual role: it gave artists a place to exhibit and sell their work while also educating and entertaining the public. Reported sales of local artworks reached £209, and the society soon had nearly 200 members. Annual exhibitions subsequently became its principal public activity. In the early twentieth century, the society developed permanent or semi-permanent facilities. A gallery associated with Coburg Street was recorded by 1912, and the organisation later used premises at 4 Eden Crescent, with solo exhibitions at Eden Terrace galleries. The Coburg Street building, constructed from kauri and containing two storeys and approximately 600 feet of exhibition space, was connected to a long-term effort to secure a dedicated home. Financial support came from member subscriptions, government assistance, land payments, and a bequest associated with the art enthusiast Mackechnie. The society’s programme expanded beyond exhibitions. Membership offered access to galleries and club rooms, an art library, private views, lectures, film evenings, luncheon talks, studio facilities, and, for working members, opportunities to show original work. A picture-hire service enabled members of the public to borrow artworks and potentially purchase them later. Members also joined life groups, landscape-painting groups, sketching activities, and summer painting trips. Periodic arts balls and other gatherings created a social network around the organisation. Women were central to this history. A Ladies Committee was formed during the nineteenth century, and women exhibited alongside men and served in organisational roles. The 1951 exhibition included eighty-six artists, more than half of whom were women. Ivy Margaret Copeland became a member and vice-president and held a large solo exhibition in 1951. Frances Irwin Hunt was recognised for floral and landscape paintings in a fractured Cubist style. Peggy Spicer remained a member for forty-eight years, held a notable 1968 exhibition on historic Auckland, and helped organise a weekly sketching group. During the mid-twentieth century the society participated in the Auckland Arts Festival, beginning annual festival-related exhibitions in 1951. Auckland Art Gallery presented the society’s work as part of the festival in 1952. The society also acted as an advocate for artists. In 1954 it protested the use of the term art union in a way it believed equated the activity with lotteries. In the same period it challenged the Post and Telegraph Department’s handling of stamp design, arguing that stamps were important national representations and that local artists deserved commissioned opportunities. The society remained active for more than a century and is associated with over 2,000 local and national artists. Its active period ended in 1984, although the organisation was not formally wound up until 2004. Its records, exhibition history, buildings, membership activities, and connections with Auckland Art Gallery form an important part of the history of organised visual art in New Zealand.
- 2004
Formal winding-up
[1]The Auckland Society of Arts was officially wound up.
- 1984
End of active period
[1]The society’s active operations are recorded as ending in 1984.
- 1968
Peggy Spicer’s Old Auckland exhibition
[1]Long-serving member Peggy Spicer presented a solo exhibition focused on Auckland subjects and landmarks.
- 1952
Festival presentation at Auckland Art Gallery
[1]Auckland Art Gallery housed and presented the society’s festival-related exhibition.
- 1951
Participation in the Auckland Arts Festival
[1]The society began exhibiting annually as part of the Auckland Arts Festival.
- 1912
Coburg Street gallery recorded
[1]Society records placed its gallery at Coburg Street, in a dedicated building associated with the organisation’s long-term exhibition activities.
- 1881
Choral Hall exhibition
[1]The first exhibition under the reorganised society displayed paintings, watercolours, sketches, applied art, and loaned works, with local artists’ sales reported at £209.
- 1880
Reorganisation and renaming
[1]The organisation adopted the Auckland Society of Arts name, revised its rules, and created honorary and working membership categories.
- 1871
First exhibition
[1]The newly formed society worked toward its first exhibition, establishing an annual exhibition tradition that became central to its identity.
- 1870
Founding meeting in Auckland
[1]Sixteen people met in Henry Partington’s Queen Street office, and seven members formed the first committee of the Society of Artists, Auckland.
Products and positioning
A member-supported, community-oriented art society that connected practising artists with Auckland audiences through exhibitions, education, facilities, social activity, and advocacy for the visual arts.
Exhibition programme · 1871
Annual group exhibitions
The society’s principal public offering was its programme of annual exhibitions. These displayed paintings, watercolours, drawings, sculpture, decorative work, craft, and other forms of fine and applied art. Exhibitions allowed members and visiting artists to present work to Auckland audiences and frequently created opportunities for sales, prizes, and wider recognition.
Exhibition programme
Solo and themed exhibitions
Alongside group shows, the society organised solo exhibitions and exhibitions built around particular themes. A typical year was reported to include approximately eight solo exhibitions and two exhibitions with distinctive themes, giving individual artists and specialist subjects more focused exposure.
Membership service · 1880
Artist membership
Membership connected artists and supporters with exhibition access, voting rights, private views, lectures, social activities, and studio resources. Working members were expected to submit original work for exhibition, while honorary members supported the society and received associated privileges.
Art service
Picture library and artwork hire
The society operated a picture-hire service through which members of the public could borrow artworks for a monthly charge. Borrowers could later purchase works they had hired, linking public access with direct support for artists.
Community arts programme
Studio, lecture, and social programme
Society facilities and activities included a basement studio, an etching press, life groups, landscape-painting groups, lectures, film evenings, art-history discussions, luncheon talks, painting trips, and social events such as arts balls.
Marketing campaigns
- 1954Art union terminology campaign
New Zealand
The society’s council appealed to the Minister of Internal Affairs over the treatment of art unions as if they were ordinary lotteries. It argued that art unions had a distinct role in helping artists and circulating artworks.
Outcome. The available reference does not record a definitive policy outcome.
- 1954Artist involvement in stamp design
New Zealand
The society challenged the Post and Telegraph Department’s approach to selecting stamp designs and called for New Zealand artists to receive commissioned opportunities. It presented stamps as internationally visible expressions of national culture.
Outcome. The available reference does not record a definitive change in the department’s policy.
Brand decisions
1951
Join the Auckland Arts Festival programmeStrategyBackground
The society sought to maintain a visible role in Auckland’s growing cultural calendar.
Action taken
It began exhibiting annually as part of the Auckland Arts Festival.
Aftermath
The society’s festival-related work was presented by Auckland Art Gallery in 1952.
1880
Broaden the society’s artistic and membership remitStrategyBackground
Internal criticism questioned the administration of the earlier Society of Artists, Auckland and its perceived exclusivity.
Action taken
The organisation adopted the Auckland Society of Arts name, embraced fine and applied art, and introduced honorary and working membership categories.
Aftermath
The reorganised body held a successful 1881 exhibition and expanded its membership and public role.
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