Runanga Whakairo
Carving
Committee members:
Mark Kopua - Pouwhakahaere (Tolaga Bay)
Jack Brooking (Te Araroa)
Ian Wayne Grant (Rotorua)
Simon Lardelli (Gisborne)
Riki Manuel (Christchurch)
Hemi Sundgren (Taranaki)
The development of a forum to encourage the development of whakairo has been overshadowed by the work of carvers working on Industry Training Standards with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
The meeting of whakairo artists in Waitara Taranaki in March 2001 discussed the following key issues:
- the retention of traditional knowledge and skills associated with the art
- the development of new forms in sculpture based on concepts and designs derived from traditional sources
- the role of tohunga whakairo as repositories and resources for Whakairo, and acknowledgement of the wide range of skill areas required for such a position
Over the next three years, the group intends to progress the art form through exhibitions, publications, skill development workshops, exchanges with other international groups and symposia.
At the Toi Maori Festival in Christchurch, 2003, Toi Maori hosted renowned First Nations carvers Dempsey Bob (Vancouver) and Norman Jackson (Alaska).
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This page last updated 23 April 2005