Imagine pounding the pavement as a cadet reporter in a small regional town, only to eventually become the ultimate architect of an entire nation's creative landscape. In this episode of pplpod, we conduct a structural archaeology of the life and legacy of John Coley, the Canterbury painter who successfully bridged the gap between creator, critic, and curator. We explore his foundational years at the Canterbury College School of Art, where he studied alongside the giants of New Zealand art history, and his decades-long tenure with the avant-garde collective known as The Group. From the mathematical precision of his "Abacus" series to his "kiss of life" directorship at the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Coley redefined the Christchurch art s ...