Artstation

News

Matariki

The Matariki festival runs from 5 June to 5 July 2008. The pre-dawn rising of the star cluster Matariki is significant to Māori and is referred to as 'Te tau hou', the new year.
Matariki was traditionally a time to connect Māori to land and seafood harvesting, way-finding, and weather patterns. During mid-winter, people would also traditionally gather to farewell the dead, acknowledge the past year's activities and then greet the new-born and focus on the years ahead.

This festival and programme of events taking place throughout Auckland embodies the way Maori commemorate and celebrate this ancient tradition within the context of contemporary city life in Tamaki Makaurau, Auckland.

At Artstation the festival is being marked with the following events:

Image by Charlotte Graham

Into the light

Into the light opening on 25 June is a group exhibition featuring artists Gabrielle Belz, Natalie Couch, Charlotte Graham, Ngahina Hohaia, Michelle Lee, Raewyn Graham, and Te Rito collective. The artists will hold an open day on Saturday 29 June from 9am to 4pm. This is an opportunity to meet and speak with artists as they shed more light on their artworks. See Exhibitions for further details.

Matariki workshops for children

Children from the Grey Lynn and Mount Wellington community centres will participate in a day of artmaking around the theme of Matariki. There will be storytelling, sculpture classes in kite making, mural painting, photography and screenprinting workshops, visits to the Matariki exhibition in the Artstation Gallery and a talk by some of the artists.

Visit the Matariki website for the full programme of activities across Auckland.

'Talk back' a project by artists who recently immigrated to New Zealand/Aotearoa

Talk Back artist Gai Nghi Phung

In partnership with Artists Alliance and The New Zealand Film Archive, Artstation is presenting 'Talk back' an exhibition of work by artists who have recently arrived in New Zealand/ Aotearoa. Curated by Lyn Dallison, the exhibition has a related seminar and workshop programme. 'Make your Mark' a seminar facilitated by Artists Alliance will help artists, who are new to New Zealand/Aotearoa, to establish their position within the arts community. Arts Biz, arts career development consultants, will present practical information and the business processes an artist needs to know to get their art career established in New Zealand. See Exhibitions for details.

Discounts on classes and art materials

To save money... book and pay for your class within the timeframe of the Early Bird Special (EBS). Also see that the French Art Shop offers a discount on art materials on presentation of an Artstation receipt.