The Sutton Project, supported by the Christchurch City Council and Regenerate and endorsed by Minister Megan Woods, has three parts, each of which honours the life and work of Bill Sutton in different but integrated ways. Each part of the Project has been designed to provide essential income streams to support the viability of the Project as a whole.
The three integrated elements of the Sutton Project are:
– the establishment of the house, studio and garden of W A [Bill] Sutton at 20 Templar Street, Christchurch as a public house and garden museum and as a community meeting place.
– The establishment of accommodation for a comprehensive Artist in Residence programme for Christchurch. In the first instance, this accommodation will be provided in the Sutton House; it is anticipated that in the future this may be provided in the form of two architecturally designed relocatable buildings to be placed adjacent on land next to the Sutton House.
– The establishment of an associated park, also on adjacent land, called Sutton Park and which will be used for community “art in the park” activities. Details of this three part project are set out below, together with a map.
a) The Sutton House and Garden Museum
It is proposed that once the house is restored and “fit for purpose” as a public building it will have a range of installed features that introduce the life and work of the artist in the form of both temporary and permanent displays. These will include some original furnishings and chattels (including Bill’s easel), as well as some IT facilities, to enhance visitor experiences. A small specialist museum shop will be set up. There will be wheelchair accessibility to some areas of the house and garden together with a dedicated car parking facility.
The house and garden will be available for guided tours by individuals and small groups, essentially on a pre-booked basis and offering a variety of options. All tours will be accompanied by a trained volunteer guide and all will involve a modest entry fee except for school groups which are free. The size of each guided house tour needs to be limited to no more than approximately 25 – 30 people because of the size of the house. The basic tour would involve a general introduction to the house and garden as well as including a power-point or an audio-visual presentation, particularly including images of Bill Sutton’s art work. There would also be more detailed “special” tours, for example, a concentration on the Bill Sutton works in detail as one of the most important New Zealand landscape artists of the 20th century, or the story of the creative partnership of two friends and fellow artists, Bill Sutton and sculptor Tom Taylor, who designed this special house, or a detailed botanical tour of the garden, designed and planted by Bill Sutton and including some exceptional tree specimens. Themed tours can also be organised to connect with particular arts or heritage festivals or conferences or groups of visitors including those using the city’s Convention Centre. The courtyard of the house would also lend itself to being the gathering place for special guided botanical walking tours within the new park near to the Sutton House.
The House as a Community Meeting Place
Another proposed activity involves the studio room which is the only room in the house of significant size (9m by 5m). It opens out onto a terrace and then the brick courtyard. It is proposed that this room be made available to the community as a venue, on application and on payment of a modest fee, for small gatherings, meetings, and similar functions, with stacking chairs and trestle tables provided as well as AV equipment. The studio will also be used as a venue for series of night-time and weekend lectures on relevant subjects, as well as small art exhibitions, all to be organised by the Trust. This would provide a very attractive new community venue, particularly for the east of the city.
b) The Sutton Residency
Turning to the proposed Sutton Residency element of the Project, it is noteworthy that the City of Christchurch, unlike most cities in New Zealand , does not yet have a comprehensive artist in residence programme. As a consequence it is proposed that the Trust should provide accommodation for such a programme; in the first instance this will be provided by Sutton House and subsequently in a purpose built, architect designed relocatable “artist in residence” dwelling and studio next to the Sutton House. This proposal is strongly endorsed by the Director of the Christchurch Art Gallery and the Head of the Fine Art Department, University of Canterbury as well as supported in CCC policy. It is noted that generally in New Zealand, residencies of this kind in other cities are managed by their city art galleries, often in close partnership with other public institutions such as universities and polytechnics. This proposal intends to follow that precedent for the management of these awards while the Trust will provide and maintain the accommodation. Comprehensive residency programmes provide prestigious opportunity for creativity to be shared with both our arts community and the public at large.
c) Sutton Park
It is proposed that land immediately adjacent to the Sutton House on two sides be made available, to enable a small special park to be created, for public involvement in art and craft related outdoor activities. For example, a temporary sculpture symposia and 3 dimensional art installations, curated in association with arts festivals and similar events could be organised, particularly in the summer months. Local outdoor art and craft shows will be held, outdoor art activities for children will be organised and community art and craft market stalls organised in the summer months. Extra planting in this proposed dedicated park is planned to mirror the existing indigenous planting in the Sutton designed garden. A car parking area is planned for visitors. A marquee can be erected in this park to accommodate larger Trust functions including fundraising. This outdoor space will be named Sutton Park.