Shona Graham McFarlane (27 March 1929 – 29 September 2001) was a New Zealand artist, journalist and broadcaster.

Biography

McFarlane was born in Gore and educated at

Otago Girls' High School , motto_translation = The Right Education Makes The Heart As Strong As Oak , type = State , grades = 9 - 13 , grades_label = Years , gender = Girls-only , established = ; years ago , address = 41 Tennyson Street ...

, and studied teaching at the Dunedin Teachers' College. McFarlane taught art in New Zealand schools from 1950 tp 1952, before moving to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

where she taught in the mid-1950s. During the 1960s and 1970s she served on the

Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

, and was president of the Otago Art Society during the 1960s. Until 1975, she served on the Otago Theatre Trust committee, on the Dunedin Public Art Gallery council, and was president of the Dunedin Civic Arts Council. She was also a prominent campaigner to preserve several historic Dunedin buildings. As a journalist during the period from 1960 to 1974, McFarlane was women's editor of the ''Dunedin Star'', one of the two major daily newspapers in that city. McFarlane became a public figure as an original panellist of the long-running chat show ''Beauty and the Beast'', appearing alongside

Selwyn Toogood Selwyn Featherston Toogood (4 April 1916 – 27 February 2001) was a New Zealand radio and television personality. Early life and family Born in Wellington on 4 April 1916, Toogood was the son of Henry Featherston Toogood and Ethel Lois Co ...

and

Catherine Tizard Dame Catherine Anne Tizard (née Maclean; 4 April 1931 – 31 October 2021) was a New Zealand politician who served as mayor of Auckland City from 1983 to 1990, and the 16th governor-general of New Zealand from 1990 to 1996. She was the first ...

from 1976 to 1985. McFarlane survived breast cancer in the early 1970s, and became a prominent campaigner for more government funding for early detection of and intervention in the illness. She was also vice president of the

New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (also referred to as the Wellington Art Society) was founded in Wellington in July 1882 as The Fine Arts Association of New Zealand. Founding artists included painters William Beetham (first president of the Ass ...

for many years. McFarlane wrote several books, and was widely commissioned throughout New Zealand for major art works. The Shona McFarlane Art Gallery in Dunedin was named after her, as well as the Shona McFarlane retirement village in Wellington. McFarlane was married to National Arts Minister

Allan Highet David Allan Highet (27 May 1913 – 28 April 1992) was a New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1966 to 1984, representing the National Party for Remuera, holding the then largest majorities in the House. Early life and family Highet was b ...

from 1976. Her sister is well-known artist Heather Francis. McFarlane wrote six books, and her paintings appear primarily in museums, art galleries, and private collections.

Honours and awards

* 1973 –

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for services to the arts,

1973 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1973 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1973 to celebra ...

* 1974 – National Bank Art Award * 1994 –

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, for services to the arts,

1994 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1994 were appointments by most of the sixteen Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other ...

* 1994 – Governor General's Art Award, from New Zealand Academy of Fine ArtsFellowship: New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts
Retrieved 10 January 2013.

Books

*Dunedin, Portrait of a City (1970) *Mixed Media (1975) *Of Cabbages And Things (1981) *From Maungaraki (1983) *White Moas and Artichokes (1993) *Shona McFarlane: A Memoir (1999)

References

External links

Works in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
{{DEFAULTSORT:McFarlane, Shona 1929 births 2001 deaths New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Artists from Dunedin New Zealand women artists Writers from Dunedin New Zealand women writers Mass media people from Dunedin People from Gore, New Zealand New Zealand people of Scottish descent People educated at Otago Girls' High School