Work in progress. Mural artwork from Erika Pearce at Kerikeri Primary School.
Work in progress. Mural artwork from Erika Pearce at Kerikeri Primary School.
Local artist changing face of school
Kerikeri artist Erika Pearce is painting murals around Kerikeri Primary School. She is halfway through the process, and waiting patiently for the spring weather to behave.
She was first approached by the principal, who had seen her mural in Bluff. Another teacher had seenher artwork in Paihia, and when they realised she was a local, they made contact and proposed the undertaking.
They applied for funding through Creatives in School and received a grant for the project.
“The brief was to create four murals that represent four significant areas around Kerikeri - Puketi Forest, Te Awa o Ngā Rangita, The Bay of Islands and Mount Pokaka,” she said.
“I then hosted a number of workshops and took the students through my entire design process, from brief, to research, to concepts and development.
“They then created their own mural design based on one of the four areas, and I created the four mural designs based on their artwork.”
One of local artist Erika Pearce's murals at Kerikeri Primary School.
She has painted a number of murals around Paihia, including the sea wall. In fact, her murals can be seen around New Zealand. She is in talks for new murals around Kerikeri, and regarding that, she says: “Watch this space.”
She has been a full-time artist for the past 10 years. Besides painting murals, she will paint commissions, and she is also a graphic designer and illustrator.
“I have loved all the interactions with the kids - it’s such a great school to work with.”
Kawakawa Theatre and Gallery back in action
After a long Covid-induced closure, Kings Theatre Creative in Kawakawa is back open as a gallery and venue for the 2022-2023 summer season.
Spokesperson for the venue, Lau’rell Pratt, said they are “dusting off and getting the gallery ready, and we are slowly moving through the shapes and spaces”.
Artist Herb Foley with some of the 15 paintings he is exhibiting at Kings Theatre Creative in Kawakawa.
Last Thursday, they kicked off with a live music performance by Nikau Te Hiki from Raglan. His ‘Casual Healing’ was a soulful two-hour set of hand-picked waiata, covers, and 12 original songs from his upcoming album.
The first gallery exhibition contains artwork from Herb Foley of Kerikeri. It opened on November 26 and runs through to January 2023. It is a display of 15 of his paintings reflecting on the gardens around his home.
“It is a delicate hand in uncertain times,” said Lau’rell, “and offers a subtle reminder of the magic in life’s simple delights and the ecosystems that embrace us, heal and hold us.”
One of the 15 paintings by Herb Foley being exhibited at Kings Theatre Creative in Kawakawa.
Painting and Hiding Rocks
There’s a new fad, a craze of sorts, that’s made its way to Kerikeri from overseas. People are painting, hiding and searching for decorated stones in gardens, on walks, and in reserves.
Kerikeri has jumped on the bandwagon. The town has not one, but two Facebook groups dedicated to the fun pastime.
One of the painted rocks hidden in the Kerikeri Retirement Village garden. Photo / Due North
It’s not just for kids. Adults, including many of the residents of the Kerikeri Retirement Village, are getting in on the act. In September, the village’s activities co-ordinator, Karen Hawkin, posted on Facebook that the village would appreciate some painted rocks for residents to hide and find in the gardens.
“The response was overwhelming,” she said.
“We had Pascoe Rocks mail some, someone else bought some in and stayed for morning tea, someone else sent rocks from Rotorua, and another person travelling around New Zealand in a campervan dropped some in.”
Village residents joined in on the craze by painting some rocks of their own and hiding them around the grounds.
“It’s like Easter but without the chocolate,” said Karen Hawkin. “Everyone had a ball, with lots of laughter and squeals of delight on discovery.”
Russell School and The Family of Light
Late in November, the entire student body of Russell School - 76 students - was involved in the play Te Whānau Mārama - The Family of Light.
The play was written and directed by Horrace Maunsell, who infused Māori legend and core spiritual values into a modern-day setting, highlighting issues but in a fun and relatable way.
For instance, in a scene where a mother and her children are heading to the forest in a car, the ‘car’ (a cardboard version for the stage) is a BMW. One of the children is telling her mother that she feels sorry for people who don’t have a TikTok account.
The story of Te Whanau Marama is about Tane, who kicked over a kete while he was doing a haka - that produced the Milky Way, and it goes from there. The executive producer was Joanne Higgins, although she says students gave her that title because it sounded important.
Russell School students performing the play Te Whanau Marama. Photo / Rachel Thwaites
She comes from a considerable theatrical background as an actor, dancer and singer, which is likely why the principal, Melissa Jackson, asked her to take on the project.
“What I really did was to pull things together behind the scenes, co-ordinate with our talented director, find stuff, make stuff, be responsible, answer questions and help students rehearse during break times at school,” she said.
“It was great to plan an afternoon or evening props workshop where the community were invited to help, and everyone chipped in.”
Joanne has been teaching Year 7 and 8 at Russell School since the beginning of the year. She incorporated stagecraft lessons into the day’s curriculum.
“Learning was based around the production where possible. We did reviews, created bios and made some slick posters.
“For mathematics, we learned about position, scale measurement and ratios, and applied multiplication to determine seat numbers without having to set up all the seats.
“It was awesome to observe students who were at the crux of understanding concepts undertake authentic tasks.”
She credits the principal and the Board of Trustees for making the show happen, and praises the show’s writer and director Horrace Maunsell for its success.
