Photographs of life in the 1950s go on display
A Rural Life in Black and White – Donald J. McKay’s Photographs of Banks Peninsula in the 1950s
A new temporary exhibition opens at Akaroa Museum this September. This exhibition reflects the unique record that photographer Donald J. McKay made of his community in the 1950s-60s.
The photographs provide a rare insight into the rural work that McKay grew up with, while also offering glimpses of dances and social life at the time.
A Rural Life in Black and White is a celebration of McKay's photography, drawn from the c.40,000 frames of negatives he donated to Akaroa Museum in 2017.
A handsome hard covered100-page catalogue with 77 photographs accompanies and expands upon the themes presented in the exhibition.
A Rural Life in Black and White runs from 6 September 2025 through to February 2026.