Toi Ora is a Visual Art experience that draws on your inner self for creative context/content to support mental and emotional health and well being.

As well as this, Toi Ora reflects upon your surrounding landscape for artistic inspiration and creative connection to sky, land and sea.

Your unique cultural identity provides another layer of artistic exploration and enquiry.

Whether your a beginner or experienced painter, Toi Ora explores techniques, practices and processes in relation particularly to painting, for the purpose of nurturing and expanding your bountiful imagination.

Toi Ora programme

Duration: 10 weeks

Start and finish dates: Thursday 23rd May to Thursday 25th July

Learning content

Whenua ki te whenua – The internal landscape.

Explore our natural world (taiao) using acrylic and enamel spray paint. Learn how to draw the land from life as well as photo’s to inform a body of painting.

This painting of Taratara at Whangaroa expresses the emotional and spiritual connection I have to my ancestral whenua and moana.

Tohu nga – Guardian signs and symbols

Explore kaitiaki signs and symbols unique to your natural world and cultural identity to inform a body of painting, using stencils, spray paint, water colour and acrylic.

The Ruru represents the after life and is responsible for guiding departed souls to Te Rerenga wairua (Spirits Bay) in the far north.

Purakau o te whenua – Stories of the land

Explore your local heritage, stories and legends to inform and inspire a body of painting.

Local purakau (stories) of Whangaroa account for an ancient volcanic eruption, described as a mighty battle between the maunga. This battle terraformed the land, giving it the unique rock formations we see today and is the inspiration for this painting.

Toi Ora costings

Total facilitation hours: 40 (includes 10 hours travel)

Artist facilitation fee: $2000

Venue hire: $300

Materials: $600

Students: 6

Artist fee per person: $480

Facilitator: Yazma Smith