Free drop-in pounamu carving and repair workshops with Jon Jeet and Tūhono Taonga Tūhono Tāngata Trust
Outside Tūranga, Cathedral Square side Monday 18 – Wednesday 20 July, 10am – 3pm
Presented by Toi Ōtautahi in partnership with Tūhono Taonga Tūhono Tāngata Trust, this series of workshops will introduce pounamu carving and repair to all those interested in connecting with this very precious taonga.
Nationally-recognised artist and pounamu carver Jon Jeet (Ngāti Maniapoto, Fijian Indian), along with a handful of talented facilitators, will be onsite teaching anyone interested how to carve a simple pounamu form. Based in the Tūhono Taonga Tūhono Tāngata Trust mobile carving unit for three days, you will be able to watch Jon carve and then give it a go yourself! All materials and guidance are supplied by Jon and the Trust.
If you would like to participate, sessions are approximately an hour long. The work can be messy so please dress appropriately. The workshops are free and will occur on a first-in-first-served basis throughout the day. If Jon or the facilitators are busy when you show up you may need to wait a little. The workshops are open to all ages, though younger children will need to be accompanied by an adult.
The Tūhono Taonga Tūhono Tāngata Trust was established to aid in teaching and connecting those within our communities with pounamu. The Trust sees Toi Māori as a gateway to Māori empowerment and self-belief – as a pathway for people to grow beyond personal and cultural intergenerational disconnection. For the trust and its facilitators, it’s not about their chosen medium, pounamu, it is about the journey that their kaupapa takes participants on and the sense of identity they can gain through learning about their whakapapa through the medium of pounamu.
These workshops are supported by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, Creative New Zealand, The Rātā Foundation and Christchurch City Council.
