A water filter designed in the 1890s, archives of the Tuarangi Knights Templar, and a saxophone are among special items that will be on display soon at the Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum.

The items have been donated or acquired in the past year by the Ashburton Museum and Historical Society, whose  collection is looked after by the gallery and museum team.

The new acquisitions form the basis of an exhibition called Sharing Histories, Gifts of 2022 that will run from Saturday 11 February until Wednesday 29 March.

Art gallery and museum director Shirin Khosraviani said the exhibition was a chance to explore some of the treasured objects, archives and photographs that had been generously donated and acquired by the Ashburton Museum and Historical Society last year.

“This inaugural exhibition will return each year, showcasing these special and fascinating acquisitions and exploring why they are significant to the Ashburton district.

“While the public can visit from Saturday, we’re inviting people to join us for the official opening of Sharing Histories on Wednesday 15 February, at 6pm, and learn a little more about what is on display.”

Visitors to the exhibition will get the chance to explore the range of items acquired and their unique stories, as well as learn about how items are assessed, accepted and stored by museum staff.

One of the items on display will be the W. H. Rule Acme water filter, from around 1890. William Henry Rule was an engaged member of the Ashburton community who manufactured and sold water filters (during the height of popularity for pure, clean filtered water), after winning the local A&P show’s water filter competition in 1891.

This water filter was recently purchased by the Ashburton Museum and Historical Society for its collection.

Other interesting items that will be on display include the Tuarangi Knights Templar archives, theatre programmes, a saxophone and a miniature snapshot album of Ashburton.

Ms Khosraviani said items offered to the museum and art gallery were first assessed by staff as to whether they had historical, cultural, social, spiritual, scientific and/or artistic significance to the Hakatere Ashburton region.

“We look at whether the item is particularly rare or is a good representative example of its kind, whether we already have similar items in our collection, and what the provenance or back story of the item is.

“Another consideration is whether it can be properly stored in our museum and preserved by our team.”

Accepting donations into the museum is in partnership with the historical society and guided by a collection policy.