To be presented to Historic Preservation Hero
James Blackburne
James is an architect whose passion is to see members of the community engaged in architectural preservation on all levels. A Gisborne native, he is the President of Historic Places Aotearoa Inc. and is the Chairman of Historic Places Tairawhiti Inc. and Tairawhiti Heritage Trust. He is a strong advocate for the protection and restoration of heritage buildings and has taken a leading role in a number of stellar preservation projects such as the Acton Estate, St Mary’s and Toko Toru Tapa Churches. He is currently working on restoring, the former Plunket Building in Gisborne, as well as the historic Potatu, which is a family heritage project.
The award is an original painting of one of the restored projects which will be unveiled and presented by international artist and New Zealander, Leisa Collins.
When: Saturday, November 17, 2018 Between 2 – 4 pm
Where: Starts with the presentation of the award outside the Toko Toru Tapa Church, Whakato Rd, Manutuke.
Following the award, an informal reception will be held at the Opou Station Homestead, 95 Whakato Rd, Manutuke.
About the artist: A successful working artist, Leisa’s artistic passion is architecture. As a teenager, her love for travel and adventure prompted her to abandon formal art training, learning her craft instead while traveling across New Zealand. She then set up an art studio in Auckland and successfully made her living before travelling internationally. Following marriage to her American husband, she has lived in the USA for the last 30 years. Leisa relaunched her art career a few years ago and has never looked back. She has now painted around 2500 homes and historic buildings in all 50 across the USA. Over the years she has become prominent on a national scale and today receives requests from around the country for her commissioned art.
In 2013 she created her Leisa Collins Historic Preservation Award which she gives to exemplary individuals for their preservation efforts. She is currently working on a coffee table book entitled “Art Inspiring Homes Across America” that will feature paintings of her homes and historic buildings in all 50 states.
I’m looking forward to this fun event!
Cheers, Leisa
