Ian Andrew Hunter (21 July 1947 – 26 February 2023) was a Northern Irish artist, art curator and cultural advocate who worked in New Zealand and England.
[6] In 1978, Hunter co-founded the Artists' Co-op in Wellington with Barry Thomas, Ross Boyd, Terrence Handscombe, Eva Yuen, Stuart Porter, Gerard Crewdson, Mark Hantler, Gaylene Preston and others.
[7][8] The co-op presented exhibitions and performances by Hunter, Yuen, Thomas, Pauline Rhodes, Andrew Drummond, Peter Roche, Linda Buis, David Mealing and free jazz groups.
[9][10][11][8] In late 1978 Ian Hunter, Barry Thomas, Eva Yuen, Ross Boyd and Terrence Handscombe had an exhibition entitled "Work" at the Academy of fine arts Wellington based around their Artists' co-op.
[16] Buoyed by the success of ANZART 1, in 1982 Hunter organised F1 New Zealand sculpture Project in a disused Thomson Lewis drinks factory (now Moore Wilson's) in Wellington's Te Aro district.
The trust was formed to respond to social, environmental, and economic change and to protect the civic status of the Lake District-based Merzbarn that the German artist Kurt Schwitters had used as a studio.
[23] Hunter set up the 'Kurt Schwitters in England' working party in 2000 to raise funds so the Littoral Arts Trust could purchase the land and buildings surrounding the Merzbarn.