Creative Arts Napier classes starting at Keirunga

Keirunga co-ordinator Tricia Johnston (left) with CAN tutors Ngaio Blackwood, Sue Weston, Cate Godwin, Terrie Reddish and Rachel Knight. Photo / Supplied

Creative Arts Napier and the Keirunga Creative Hub have joined forces to offer a range of CAN classes, from printmaking to bookbinding, at Keirunga.

The Keirunga Creative Hub, located in Havelock North's Keirunga Gardens, is a hub of activity which had to transform after a fire gutted the building in 2016.

When the Keirunga Board suggested to CAN that they join forces to offer a creative programme, CAN "jumped at the chance," CAN general manager Lisa Feyen said.

"Keirunga Creative Hub is a fabulous facility, and being able to expand our range of workshops and offer them to the Hastings and Havelock North community seems a natural next step."

Lisa says the most exciting part of the project is the chance for tutors, staff and volunteers from both centres to get to know each other and there will be further opportunities for "cross-pollination" as the two work together.

"We will be able to help each other out. CAN will provide what Keirunga needs in terms of studio bookings and making the local community more aware of what's on offer in their close vicinity, and the CAN Keirunga classes will help us financially to keep our doors open seven days a week."

CAN is a registered charity, so income generated by classes, events and activities and fundraising is a top priority to cover operational costs.

Lisa has spent the last few years building CAN's programme of classes and only experienced and professional tutors are contracted to teach.

The classes at Keirunga will start from the end of July, with more to be added as the programme gains momentum.

Most of the new CAN classes will take place in Keirunga's Frank Beacon Studio, which Lisa says is a "spacious, light and modern studio" that is fully equipped to hold creative classes.

Numbers will be restricted to allow the tutor to focus on each person individually during a session.

The first CAN evening class, which can now be booked, will be linocut printmaking. It is starting on Thursday, July 29 and running for eight weeks.

Tutor Cate Godwin will guide her students through the process of relief printmaking, first introducing the technique, printing in one colour and experimenting with different inks, papers and backgrounds, then trying out a "reduction" technique of printing multi-coloured print editions from one block.

Other classes that can be booked in advance are textile monoprinting with Sue Weston on Saturday, August 14 and Embroidery 101 for beginners and Embroidery 102 on Saturday, August 21 with Ngaio Blackwood.

Tutor and letterpress guru Terrie Reddish will also be teaching a one-day bookbinding workshop for beginners, with dates to be confirmed.

Classes can be booked on the CAN website www.thecan.co.nz, by calling 06 835 9448 or by emailing bookings@thecan.co.nz