By Matilda Halley, with support from Ngā Kaihanga Uku and Chantel Matthew
We are thrilled to announce that Ngā Kaihanga Uku (the Māori Clay Artists Collective) and friends will be returning to Kapanga to rekindle their long-standing relationship with Driving Creek.
The rōpū will be at Driving Creek from November 2 – 9, hosting a series of public workshops and talks and opening a major exhibition.
Born out of Ngā Puna Waihanga (the Māori Writers and Artists Society), Ngā Kaihanga Uku (NKU) initially came together between 1987 and 1991. Founding members Baye Riddell, Manos Nathan, Colleen Waata-Urlich, Paerau Corneal, and Wi Taepa are collectively known as Ngā Tokorima.
Without a ceramic (fired clay) tradition in Aotearoa, NKU sought to “awaken and raise a Māori ceramic tradition,” in the words of founding member Baye Riddell.* Inspiration was close at hand: “Māori clay stories are intertwined with our creation narratives.”* The NKU kaupapa is to “work with clay from a Māori perspective, share resources and knowledge and connect with other indigenous clay artists.”*
NKU members come together to learn and share in wānanga. Through these gatherings, Ngā Tokorima have passed their knowledge and skills on to the next generation of uku (clay) artists and NKU members. They have exhibited in Aotearoa and internationally to widespread acclaim, and have also formed important connections with indigenous clay artists worldwide.
The relationship between NKU and Driving Creek began with a friendship between Barry and Baye. In the late 1970s, Baye joined the infamous pottery “Dos” at Driving Creek – making pots, building kilns and helping on the railway. Baye acknowledges Barry’s influence on his own creative journey:
“His ‘Kiwi’ approach to pottery using local materials and exploring iconic New Zealand themes in his work, such as the freezing works and the New Zealand Railways, was for me an inspiring departure from the Euro-Asian influences I had previously experienced. This approach helped articulate and ratify my emerging Māori clay perspective.”
Baye and the NKU rōpū were regular visitors to Driving Creek over the years. Oloa Ora, an exhibition of Māori and Pasifika art (including pieces by NKU members), was showing in the Driving Creek Gallery in 2016 at the time of Barry’s death. Soon after, NKU returned to hold a wānanga in Barry’s honour. Pieces made by Baye, Carla Ruka, and Mike O’Donnell were installed at the “Hoki Mai” station, overlooking the entrance to Barry’s burial site.
When Driving Creek lost Barry, it also lost many of the relationships he had formed. We hope that together we can reignite this precious connection.
NKU members and friends will return to Driving Creek from November 2 – 9 for a wānanga. Alongside their gathering, members will host daily public workshops and talks. These will cover a range of making and decorating techniques – from using shellac resist and water etching to create textured surfaces, to making ipu whenua and ipu puehu (ritual vessels for placenta and ashes)
Details and bookings at drivingcreek.nz/ngākaihangauku.
Ahi Kaa, an exhibition of work by NKU members and friends, will open on November 8 in the Driving Creek Gallery. Curator Chantel Matthews is bringing together a group show to “pay tribute to Driving Creek’s ethos, pioneered by Barry Brickell. Inspired by what it means to keep the fires burning as a potter/uku artist, we consider the hard work, determination, and love for the land and art that continue to burn today.”
* Quotes by Baye Riddell from his book Ngā Kaihanga Uku (Te Papa Press, 2023)
Workshop and Event Details:
Sunday November 2
Ukupapa with Dorothy Waetford
Monday November 3
Wheel Throwing with Kaeleb Ngatai
Monday November 3
Kūmara Ora with Amelia Blundell
Tuesday November 4
Glazes: Inspiration and Discovery with Karuna Douglas
Wednesday November 5
Making a Carved Ceramic Roller with Fleur Palmer
Thursday November 6
Modelling with Todd Douglas
Friday November 7
Ipu ki te Whenua with Rhonda Halliday
November 2 – 7
Daily Artist Talks with NKU Members and Friends
Saturday November 8
Ahi Kaa Exhibition Opening
Sunday November 9
Ahi Kaa Curator and Artist Talk
photo credits: Top: NKU founding member Manos Nathan with Hirini Maika, Taihaere Maika, Hamuera Maika and Carl Bowman, Driving Creek, late 1980s. Photographer unknown, Driving Creek Collections / Bottom Left: Barry and Baye, with two of Baye’s sculptures for “Oloa Ora,” Driving Creek Gallery, 2015. Photo courtesy of Baye Riddell / Middle: Boronia Riddell, Blue Corn (San Ildefenso Pueblo potter) and Helen Mason riding the train during a NKU visit to Driving Creek, May 1991. Photographer unknown, Driving Creek Collections./ End: Sculpture by Carla Ruka, NKU member, made in honour of Barry Brickell, 2016, in situ at Hoki Mai, Driving Creek. Photo by Jess Lovie
