Blind and Low Vision visitors are warmly invited to celebrate Matariki through a relaxed, hands-on making session at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

Nicola Owen from Audio Described Aotearoa will support the session, alongside two volunteers from Blind Low Vision NZ.

All materials are provided and no art-making experience is needed. Just bring your creativity.

This is a free event. Bookings are essential and places are limited to 15 people. If you are attending with a sighted companion, please book a ticket for them as well. Booking also allows us to contact you if there are any changes to the activities date or time.

This workshop is part of Matariki ahunga nui, a full day of fun, free activities at the Gallery celebrating the rising of the Matariki star cluster and the start of the Māori New Year.

 

What to expect

This creative session begins with an introduction to the work of ringatoi Māori Reuben Paterson (Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāi Tūhoe, Tūhourangi), shared through specially recorded sound bites from Ruben.

You will make your own mini-artwork in a supportive and welcoming environment, with staff and volunteers available to assist throughout the session.

 

Where to meet

Please meet in the main foyer, just inside the front entrance of the Gallery. From there, the group will make their way together to the E H McCormick Library on the Mezzanine level. 

 

Make a day of it

Come for the craft workshop, then stay and enjoy the full day of free Matariki activities across the Gallery. Matariki ahunga nui is a chance to gather, celebrate and welcome the Māori New Year through art, performance and shared experiences.

Reuben Paterson

Reuben Paterson graduated from the University of Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts in 1997 and received the Moët et Chandon Fellowship the same year. The fellowship supported him to travel to France to study fashion shows and European art collections.

Over the past 20 years, Paterson has become known for his kaleidoscopic compositions of kōwhaiwhai (rafter paintings), floral motifs and monochromatic imagery. He continually experiments with new materials and mediums, making works with diamond dust, large Mylar shimmer discs and foil, as well as extending his practice into animation and sculpture.