Events across the country that fostered connections to the moana through creative expression were a prominent feature in this year's Seaweek programme.
Seaweek began as an art competition in 1987 in Victoria, Australia so it is only natural that many Seaweek activities still center around creativity. Artistic expression nurtures a strengthened connection with the ocean and sparks curiosity about our marine environment in a wide range of ways. Each year, we love to see how the organisers, artists and creators in our midst share their love of the sea!
Ocean-Inspired Art Competition - Nationwide, March 1-14
Young artists from across Aotearoa submitted artwork using any medium they wished under three themes: Ocean Appreciation ~ Share the Love; Oceans Alive ~ Magical Marine Life; and Ocean Awareness ~ Conservation Issues & Solutions. View their incredible work shared in our on-line gallery.
Creative Arts Napier: Seaweek Workshops and Youth Art Competition & Exhibition - Hawkes Bay, 1-2 & 1-31 March
Four free workshops were offered for young people to create sea creatures with recycled materials, paper mosaic ocean scenes, painted handprint fish, and sea-themed magazine collages, funded by the NCC Creative Communities Scheme. Creative Arts Napier also ran a youth art competition and exhibition showcasing artwork that reflects on connecting to and protecting the ocean.
-1743627274-COPY.png)
Kororā Family Art Session – Taranaki, 2 March
This kororā, Little Blue Penguin, themed art event explored the life of the world's smallest penguin and provided an opportunity for participants to mould their own kororā footprints, create a collage, and take a peek at the live nest cam at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth Central.
ReCreators Seaweek Event Series – Auckland, 6 – 8 March
The team at ReCreators facilitated four events using upcycled materials to create unique works of art. Workshop themes during Seaweek included; Octopus Creations, Circular Seascapes and Fish and Ocean Puppets, which were held across four different locations. Thanks to Mt Roskill Library, Ranui Library, Te Manawa Library, and Botany Library for hosting these great ReCreators sessions supported by the Creative Communities Scheme and Foundation North through Seaweek.
Painting Seashells for Pavers - Auckland, 8 March
Over 58 participants dropped in to paint seashells with Tinker Designs and enjoyed free ice cream donated by Friends of Mahurangi East Library. Many painted seashells have been incorporated into concrete pavers, which will be installed at the Mahurangi East Library for their community garden.
Coral Gardening Art Activation - Whangarei, Northland, 8 March
A free family art activity was held at the Hundertwasser Art Centre with the Wairau Māori Art Gallery to create a collective Coral Reef Collage masterpiece. Participants used stencils, collage materials and colour pens to design their own unique sea creatures.
Penguin sculpting; Kororā made from clay – Avonside, Christchurch, 9 March
Eight keen attendees learned about the kororā, little blue/white flippered penguin, and how we could be kaitiaki while expressing ourselves using clay. The highlight of this event for organiser Nikki Wallace Bell was using sculpting as a medium to share stories about kororā and seeing attendees loving creating! This event was run by E5 Art and Clay venue at Climate Action Campus thanks to support from the Rātā Foundation through Seaweek.
Seaweek Art Class at Sumner Hub, Ocean Inspired Wind Chimes - Christchurch, 9 March
Held by artist Emily Quane for ages 7-10 from the Sumner area, participants collected items from the beach before the class, including shells, stones, driftwood and rubbish. They created beautiful wind chimes, which each was pleased to take home and hang up. This event was supported by the Sumner Community Residence Association.
.png)
Art at the Beach – Kaka Point, Otago, 9 March
The cloudscape and seascape changed so much between low tide at sunrise when the first artists arrived and when they left at high tide, providing a wonderful array of colours and lighting. Artists came and took photos, made sketches, painted with watercolours, collected seaweed and driftwood to make natural artworks at home and wrote stories. While taking in the beautiful scenery and creating art, they did a bird count and survey of cars/walkers/cyclists that were there throughout the time. In addition to the conversations within the group, this gathering sparked conversations with many beach visitors about Seaweek and marine issues in general.
The highlight for organiser Catriona Gower was seeing the creativity that the sea inspires and hearing about how much foreign visitors appreciated our conservation work for land and sea. This event was in collaboration with the Forest & Bird South Otago branch, to provide an opportunity during Seaweek for people to be creative together at Hayes Gap Beach.
.png)
Life Below the Water 2D Art Workshop – Avonside, Christchurch, 11 March
Students began 2D visual artwork based on the theme of Our Ocean - Our Future. Students discussed issues and brainstormed ideas for a visual artwork that would create impact and also could be an entry for the Speaking for the Planet Visual Art Competition. All students created a draft idea and began a final copy of an ocean-themed piece of art that sends a powerful message about the environment. The organisers loved seeing the students bounce ideas off each other as they refined their ideas. This event was run through E5 Art and Clay thanks to support from the Rātā Foundation through Seaweek.
Art Exhibition 'Our land, our seas, our responsibility' - Manawatu, 4-31 March
An art exhibition by Levin artist Alissa Dyer showcased New Zealand's taonga species and environments. Alongside her artwork, there was information about the threats to marine species and their environments, as well as QR codes to videos with information about the subject via a special page on alissajane.com, which was shared with all the local Horowhenua schools.
There was a large number of visitors over the month, including 5 local schools that went through the exhibition, and many others that engaged with her art and resources. The highlight for Alissa was seeing people engaging with marine species through the artwork and asking questions about the impact that we are having on them.
-1744762386-COPY.png)