Tuku: Open Studio

How do contemporary Māori artists carry forward and reimagine traditional practices?

This special session is available for a limited time. Ākonga are invited into the open studio TUKU while artworks are actively being created, offering a rare opportunity to witness the process in action.

Ākonga will engage with traditional whakairo from the collection alongside contemporary Māori mahi toi, discovering how knowledge, stories, and values are carried across generations. Through this, learners will explore the purpose, value, and context of whakairo, how tangata whenua record and transmit stories, and what makes Taranaki whakairo so unique.

Senior artist Wharehoka Smith, working with early-career artists Jodie Tipa and Dwayne Duthie, will create and shape eight manaia (spiritual guardians) in the space as they prepare for the Kīngi Tūheitia Portratiure Award opening in July at the museum. Students will have the opportunity to watch and kōrero with the artists as the creative process unfolds, gaining insight into artistic practice, intention and collaborative work.

 The session concludes with a hands-on mahi toi activity, where ākonga design their own manaia, incorporating one traditional design influence alongside a contemporary or personal element.