A new purpose-built Mangere Arts Centre is being built in South Auckland and is expected to be completed by September 2010. Once completed the centre will provide Mangere with a world-class performance and arts venue including a 300-seat flexiform performance area, state of the art acoustic design, suitable for a range of music from fine music to rock, 240m² gallery, 56m² studio, foyers, offices, change rooms, a café, and a large outdoor courtyard. Ema Tavola, the current Pacific Arts Coordinator for Manukau City Council, will take up the position of Visual Arts Manager at the new Mangere Arts Centre. Speaking of her time at Fresh Gallery Otara, Ema said that the gallery was the public platform for her work supporting the development of an already robust Pacific arts sector in Manukau City. We have hosted exhibitions, talanoa / dialogue, workshops, poetry and music. We have had so much interaction, engaged so many hearts and minds, inspired and created a fertile ground for meetings, interactions, ideas.” Her current position as Manukau City Council Pacific Arts Coordinator is to be advertised in the coming month.
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Since its establishment in May 2006 as a partnership between the Otara community and Manukau City Council, Fresh Gallery Otara has presented almost 50 exhibitions featuring the work of more than 120 artists. With a focus on contemporary Pacific art Fresh Gallery Otara has programmed exhibitions that have strong contextual and cultural references to the site of Otara and the local community, which is almost 70% Polynesian and 20% Maori with 40% of the community under 20 years of age. The gallery has served as a platform from which local artists have been able to launch themselves into the next stage of their artistic career. One of them, local artist Terry Koloamatangi Klavenes, has been selected to to represent the gallery’s culture and identity at the milestone with his photographic exhibition Blood’s Thicker than Mud. Speaking about the impact the gallery has made, Klavenes says “a humble little art gallery found in the heart of Otara has been instrumental in shattering many of the stereotypes connected to South Auckland art and artists. Over its short history, Fresh Gallery Otara has presented artwork that has pushed, challenged and reshaped the boundaries of our art. I’m honoured to have my work shown as part of the fourth anniversary celebrations and count myself privileged to be a part of Fresh Gallery Otara’s history.” Viewers have two more days to enjoy “Tongan Style”, an exhibition featuring the Tongan art and practice of embroidery and crocheting. The exhibition has been showing since 16 April at the Fresh Gallery Otara in South Auckland and will end this Saturday 8 May 2010 with an artists’ floor talk. “Tongan Style” is a special tribute to five Tongan-born, New Zealand based women artists and their embroidered and crocheted sheets, pillow cases and dresses. Curator Kolokesa Mahina-Tuai says embroidery and crochet as fine arts play a significant role in Tongan ceremonies – including gift giving, birthdays, weddings and funeral decorations. Other Pacific cultures practice the art of embroidery and crocheting including the Cook Islands and Kiribati but this exhibition features the work and garments of five Tongan women: Lingisiva ‘Aloua, Kolokesa Kulikefu, Noma ‘Ofa-ki-nu’usila Talakia’atu, Manuesina Tonata and Hulita Tupou. (For more information, read an article about the exhibition in the Papakura Courier, 5 May, 2010.)
Detail of embroidered pillowcase made in the 1990s by Kolokesa Kulīkefu. (Image courtesy of the Fresh Gallery Otara.) Manukau Arts in partnership with the Pacific Arts Committee of Creative New Zealand is proud to present the CNZ Heritage Arts Fono as part of the 2010 Manukau Pacific Arts Summit. The Fono takes place at the Otara Music Arts Centre (crn of Newbury and Bairds Road) from 10 am to 3 pm on Friday 7 May, 2010. The fono will discuss Creative New Zealand’s Heritage Arts strategy, projects and opportunities. Heritage art practices are art forms that have been brought to New Zealand from the Pacific Islands and which are presently sustained by individuals, communities, elders or experts who maintain traditional knowledge through their art practice. Heritage arts can include language, oral arts, handicrafts, weaving, carving, tivaevae, tatau, rituals, protocols and cultural specific activities. Creative New Zealand’s Senior Programmes Advisor for Pacific Arts, Anton Carter, will be available for one-on-one sessions to build awareness around the application process. For catering purposes, registration is necessary; to register or for more information please email Brett.Stirling@manukau.govt.nz or phone Nicole Lim on 09 271 6019.
Traditional Cook Island Tivaevae demonstrations are set to add colour to Manukau’s Pasifika Celebrations this week. Three Manukau libraries are hosting the demonstrations as part of the city’s celebrations of its Pacific diversity. Manukau is home to 88,000 Pacific people, almost 28 per cent of its 330,000 population. Samoan is the second most spoken language in Manukau, after English. The demonstration are free and can be viewed at the following dates and venues:
For more information, see www.manukau-libraries.govt.nz or phone 262 5101 ext 8697. South Auckland is about to be invaded by students, spectators, colourful costumes and dynamic dances from schools all over Auckland. From March 17 to 20 2010, the Manukau Sportsbowl will be home once again to the annual ASB Polyfest, the largest cultural festival of its kind in the world. This year, the festival marks a significant milestone in its existence. The festival celebrates its 35th anniversary. Polyfest started with just four schools – Seddon High School (now Western Springs College), Aorere College Mangere College, and Hillary College (now Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate). By 1978, more than 20 schools had Polyfest teams. In 2009, more than 9000 students from 59 schools competed, watched by a crowd of 90,000 over four days. Entry to this year’s festival is $ 4.00. For more details, see www.asbpolyfest.co.nz. (Story adapted from the Papakura Courier)
(Image of Pacific Underground’s Pos Mavaega, from the Christchurch Music Industry Trust – CHART – website)
Image of “Lili” (wall hanging) by Tiresa Fasi, member of Falepipi he Mafola. 1990s. © Copyright Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. |
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