Champion, patron and lover of the arts, Dan Chappell passed away on the 1st of June 2015, leaving a big hole in the Auckland arts communities and on the respective board of trustees of Objectspace and Arts Regional Trust Te Taumata Toi-a-iwi (ART).

Champion, patron and lover of the arts, Dan Chappell passed away on the 1st of June 2015, leaving a big hole in the Auckland arts communities and on the respective board of trustees of Objectspace and Arts Regional Trust Te Taumata Toi-a-iwi (ART).

Director of Objectspace, Philip Clarke says that Dan’s contribution to all of the organisations that he was involved in was highly valued.

“He was extremely good at ‘joining up the dots’ in terms of putting new information and old experience together to understand an emerging big picture. Being able to see both ‘the wood and the trees’ enabled Dan to have a view that was usually both practical and strategic, he was just a darn helpful guy.”

Chair of the Arts Regional Trust, Nigel Arkell concurs, saying that “Dan would help anyone, readily dispensing pragmatic and realistic advice and assistance.  He was a smart and savvy arts entrepreneur, following his passion and building a great business, Art News, that has nurtured, profiled and supported many an artist and arts organisation along the way.”

Many people have shared fond reminiscences about Dan since his passing and all have remarked on his generosity of time and spirit, as well as the considerable intellectual rigour that he brought to the community organisations that he volunteered his time to help. Philip Clarke first worked with Dan on the Parnell Community Trust, then again when Dan was appointed to the Objectspace board.

Philip says “Meeting and working with Dan in the context of community organisations is a marker of just how generous a person Dan was. A couple of years ago we had a chance conversation about ‘a situation’ in the visual arts community. Our views concurred but what was most memorable for me was that it demonstrated that was fuelling his generosity were very high ethical values.”

Nigel Arkell says that “We [ART] had our first board meeting without Dan in the last week. We raised a glass of very nice red wine in a toast to Dan, as we knew he would have appreciated that. As well as wine, Dan loved the arts, giving his time and considerable expertise so freely and generously to organisations like the Arts Regional Trust, because he wanted to make things better.”

Like so many, ART and Objectspace will miss Dan greatly. He bought humour coupled with great insight and experience to our boards, and the arts sector in Auckland has been enriched by his life’s work.

Thank you Dan, moe mai ra e te rangatira.

• Media Release: Arts Regional Trust Te Taumata Toi-a-iwi (ART) and Objectspace 18/06/2015