Guest Speaker - Leonard Bell
John Beck introduced our guest speaker Leonard Belll, Associate Professor University of Auckland. His writings on cross-cultural interactions and representations and the work of travelling, migrant and refugee artists and photographers have been published in New Zealand, Britain, the United States, Australia, Germany and the Czech Republic. Len has taught Art History at The University of Auckland since 1973.
Len was inspired to write his book ‘Strangers Arrive' after marrying his wife Sylvia, the daughter of refugees from Nazism, who arrived in Auckland from Czechoslovakia in late 1939.
Strangers Arrive tells the story of how a highly talented group of emigrés, were critical catalysts for change in New Zealand culture. They produced compelling art, photography, writing about the arts, architecture and introduced new practices and ideas to this country.
They include photographers Irene Koppel, Frank Hofmann and Richard Sharell, artists Theo Schoon, Frederick Ost, Kees Hos and Tom Kreisler, architects Ilke Imi Porsolt, Frederick Newman, Helmut Einhorn and Henry Kulka.