Trustees

Sandra Preston – Chair

Sandra is a senior public sector leader with a career spanning 20 years in policy development, strategic leadership, and change implementation. She has led policy change on many of NZ’s most pressing issues such as housing and Treaty settlements.

As an art lover, Sandra has been collecting contemporary NZ art for over a decade. Building an art collection has become a way of life, and Sandra has developed relationships with private galleries and artists across the country. She loves the way art challenges identities, tells powerful stories, and helps us see things differently.

Sandra considers it a special privilege to be able to advocate for art and the Dowse as a Trustee of the Dowse Foundation. She sees her role as helping to promote art as a living expression of our communities, and supporting the vital role public galleries play in facilitating community access to the arts.

Sandra holds a masters in environmental management and policy from Lincoln University.

Karl Chitham

Karl Chitham (Ngā Puhi) is the Director of The Dowse Art Museum and Petone Settlers Museum Te Whare Whakaaro o Pito-one. He was previously Curator of Tauranga Art Gallery Toi Tauranga and has held curatorial roles at Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa, University of Waikato, Whakatane Museum & Gallery and Objectspace.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Sculpture from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland and has been involved in the arts in New Zealand in a variety of roles as an educator, writer, curator and as an artist.

With significant experience as a leader in the arts sector, Chitham is a strong believer in the transformative power of the arts and is proud to be a part of The Dowse Foundation and lead the Dowse team who care for, share and collect the rich visual culture of Aotearoa.

Simon Mark

Dr Simon Mark was born in Upper Hutt, and his mother’s family lived in Lower Hutt for many years.
Simon has worked in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas, most recently at Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts, Massey University. Previous roles include at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade, as trade commissioner in Fiji, at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, a short stint in the 1990s as director of the Museum Directors’ Federation, and for Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) in Vanuatu.

Simon has a PhD from the University of Auckland, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Arts fromToi Rauwhārangi Massey University College of Creative Arts. He has exhibited in Aotearoa, China, India and Nepal. In 1996 he co-curated, with Ralph Regenvanu, the exhibition Contemporary Art of Vanuatu. Simon is the recipient of the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal, and is currently president of VSA.

Jhana Millers

Jhana Millers is the director and founder of Jhana Millers Gallery, a contemporary art gallery based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. Since opening in 2018, the gallery has developed a strong reputation for its considered programme and commitment to supporting emerging and mid-career artists from Aotearoa and Australia. The gallery regularly participates in major events such as the Aotearoa Art Fair and works closely with public institutions and private collectors.

Jhana holds a Master of Fine Arts from Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts, Massey University, and a Bachelor of Applied Arts from Whitireia New Zealand. She has a background as a practicing artist, with exhibitions nationally and internationally, including in Munich and New York.

She brings over 15 years’ experience in the visual arts sector, with roles spanning curatorial, project management, and governance. Prior to founding the gallery, she worked at Toi Rauwhārangi, managed the non-profit gallery 30upstairs, and held a project role with the Wellington Sculpture Trust, delivering public art events such as PARK(ing) Day Wellington. She has served on the board of Enjoy Contemporary Art Space and was a founding member of the artist-run initiative The See Here. Jhana also contributes to public-facing art events, including helping organise the Face to Face Portrait Festival and Fired Up Festival of Ceramics.

Joan Smith

Joan has a special interest in Dowse Art Museum’s collection of ceramics and jewellery. She was delighted to join the Foundation as a trustee not long before the redevelopment of The Dowse. As a trustee Joan supports the continued growth of the collections that are of local and national significance. She strongly supports the goal of the Foundation of making the collections and exhibitions more accessible, especially in online digital form.

Joan comes from a family of talented crafters. Her grandmother was a professional milliner. A passion for ceramics developed during Joan’s childhood growing up in Temuka, the home of Temuka Pottery. As a young adult she was introduced to Len Lye’s work before his work was recognised in New Zealand. This ignited an interest in sculpture and the interface between science and art.

Joan has considerable governance experience of NGOs and philanthropic organisations to contribute to The Dowse Foundation.

Corinne Cole

Corinne is an art enthusiast. As a former partner/principal of a large intellectual property firm, she advised on many art related IP issues. This spawned an interest in collecting art and learning more about it.

Corinne has been collecting predominately New Zealand contemporary art for over 20 years. She has made friends with artists, and formed strong relationships with galleries, art institutions and other supporters of the arts. Collecting art and its associated activities is integral to Corinne’s lifestyle.

Her interest extends beyond the art itself, she is interested in the eco-system needed to support artists have the right environment to create their works and survive.

Always keen to learn, Corinne is grateful for the opportunity to join and be involved with the Dowse Art Museum as a Trustee of the Dowse Foundation.

Corinne has served on numerous New Zealand boards and has considerable governance experience to contribute to the Dowse Foundation.

Corinne is a qualified Barrister & Solicitor (currently non-practising), Trans-Tasman Patent Attorney and Australian Trade Marks Attorney. She also has a degree in Marketing.

David Grenfell

David is the managing Director of Ortus internation a leading professional quantity surveying company and was made a fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors in 2020.

David has had long time appreciation of art coming from a household whose parents had a love, interest and fascination for fine arts and crafts so was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by paintings and objects created by NZ artists from the 60s and 70s. Almost a lifetime resident of Days Bay he was fortunate to have prominent NZ sculpture Murial Moody as a direct neighbor who encouraged and built on that foundation of appreciation, he also  benefited from the early school holiday programs which he attended run by the Dowse in the 70s. As a result of this background David appreciates the value and richness that Art brings to the surrounding community and all that it touches. "Without art man exists with art man lives." Is a quote his music teacher Geoffrey De Lautour used to say so in line with this philosophy David started a modest collection of contemporary NZ art at the age of 21 and has continued to add to this ever since as funds allow.

Over his working life he has had the opportunity to work in 22 counties predominantly in The Asia Pacific region which has broadened his appreciation of artists from a variety of cultures, those creations lay down foundations for the sole of Nations and bring joy wonderment and stimulation to the recipients.

David hopes his enthusiasm for art will be infectious and looks to broaden the relationship between the Gallery and the local business community.