Colleen Waata Urlich

Name
Colleen Waata Urlich
Iwi/Ethnicity
Te Popoto o Ngāpuhi ki Kaipara/Ngāpuhi/Māori
Te Rarawa/Māori
Date of birth
1939
Place of birth
New Zealand
Date of death
10 Sep 2015
Place of death
Dargaville/Northland (region)/New Zealand
Gender
Female
Biography
Colleen Waata Urlich was born in Te Kōpuru, Northern Wairoa, and later attended Dargaville High School, where sculptor Fred Graham was her art teacher.

It was in Auckland that Waata Urlich first started working with uku (clay). She also began to take further art classes with Colin McCahon and Hamish Keith, and was mentored by Reverend Māori Marsden in mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) relating to clay.

In 2002, Waata Urlich was awarded a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Auckland for her research into Lapita design traditions and the retention of clay knowledge by Māori.

Waata Urlich was a foundation member of Ngā Kaihanga Uku, committee member of Te Ātinga, co-ordinator of Kauwae and trustee of Toi Māori Aotearoa. In 2015, she was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori art.