Category: Craft

  • The Dowse Art Gallery

    The Dowse is in Lower Hutt outside Pōneke Wellington and it is always worth a visit. At present the exhibitions are Softy: Textiles from the Dowse Collection, Wing and a Prayer, Uana/ Carried By The Waves by Claudia Jowitt, and Whakahokihoki: Jewellery from the Dowse Collection. There is also an interactive installation, Wheel of Avalon,…

  • New books in the library

    Some new books have been added to the library. Stitches in Time by Sue Bradley. Aussie Fair by Liz Gemmell The Gentleman’s Wardrobe by Vanessa Mooncie This British book was republished in 2020 and includes simple instructions and patterns for making old-style wallets, jackets, dressing gowns and the like, for discerning men who enjoy dressing-up…

  • Patterns in the collection

    This week the collection of sewing and knitting patterns grew with the addition of a couple of generous gifts.

  • New opening hours

    The studio is now open for the summer. Opening hours for the studio are 11am to 3pm on weekdays, and by appointment. Call +64 (0)224 058 526 or send an email to make a date to come in. Something from the studio collection is on display in the window, and there is art to look…

  • Mana

    During the activism years of the 1970s Pacific and Māori voices were given a platform through print. Mana was a publication that highlighted societal issues while, at the same time, promoted identity and cultural values. During its short run – July 1977 to May 1978 – the paper relied on voluntary support and an editorial…

  • Āhuataka

    An intriguing exhibition at the Centre of Contemporary Art in Christchurch Ōtautahi is just about to end its run. Āhuataka is an exploration of Māori woven adornment. The small exhibition space in CoCA has on display artefacts from the Canterbury Museum; taonga tupuna (ancestral treasures). These are grouped together with contemporary art from practitioners who…

  • A reader contributes

    This week a reader from South Africa has sent in a Facebook link to “Architecture of Return“, an artwork of the floor plan of the British Museum on a blue deer hide, along with symbols for the artefacts that are held in the Museum’s collections. This piece references the hide paintings that convey histories across…

  • Compuknit

    A recent addition to the studio collection are two packs of vintage Compuknit from 1974. Compuknit was a system for knitting garments. These two packs were published, under licence from Wolmark, South Africa, in Salisbury, now Harare, in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. The packs contain pairs of discs that each have a moveable rotating back. In…

  • New items for the library

    The studio library continues to grow. Keiskamma Art Project is based in the village of Hamburg in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Established by the Keisakamma Trust, an organisation with the aim to “build healthy communities in all respects”, there are four strands to the work of the Trust: Art, Music, Health and Education.…

  • Shae Bishop – ceramic cowboy

    Shae Bishop is a ceramic artist who uses his discipline to create distinctive costumes. Based in Virginia in the USA, the artist works with clay to make portraits through clothing. His pieces cross-over between tiles and textile, making the wearer both invincible and vulnerable. Check out more of the artist’s work here and read an…