Jackie Gurden has had a long involvement with the gallery. In her role as Recreation Officer for the Greymouth Borough Council she played a lead role setting up and managing the facility though its initial years upstairs in the Council Offices in the early 1980s.
Planning and marketing assistance was then given over a three year period to successfully help retain the gallery and increase the revenue streams. Within this role Jackie also worked with the gallery management and alongside Te Runanga o Ngati Waewae, Te Runanga o Makaawhio and Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu to create Mana Pounamu – an outstanding exhibition of traditional and contemporary pounamu pieces to celebrate the Year of Pounamu.
This work was followed in 2002, through Gurden Consulting Ltd., when Jackie prepared a strategic plan for the gallery.
Client: West Coast Society of Arts Inc. (1997 – 2002)