Northern Health School - Creatives in schools Project
Te Puna Whakatipu
The Tauranga unit of Northern Health School is a little-known school tucked away at the bottom of 17th Avenue. A state school, its purpose is to support students from Year 1-14 who have medical conditions preventing them from accessing regular full time regular schooling.
schools and kura to partner with professional arts organisations creative practitioners to share specialist artistic knowledge and creative practice with ākonga and students.
The project is a collaboration between the kura and The Incubator Creative Hub who appointed their creative visionary Sam Allen as lead artist, supported by their Creative Community Campus team member, ceramic artist Sophie Evans and support from Incubator Creative Hub resident artist and local sculptor Nic Clegg.
Incubator Creative Hib Director Simone Anderson says, “As the Creatives in School project is designed for, this project has given the opportunity for significant hands-on participation to complete the many parts forming this exciting mixed media art installation project. Students ranging from 5 years to 17 years old have contributed to this work, with artist Sam Allen inspiring the students through the entire process inspiring the ideation to developing concepts and transferring these onto the various elements, it’s so rewarding to see how giving students the opportunity to connect with skilled arts practitioners can show them they are capable of using art to express themselves and tell stories even if it is in an abstract way. That’s the beauty and power of art.”
As part of the school’s Matariki celebration, whānau workshops were held at The Incubator Creative Campus for students along with their families and other stakeholders of the NHS to work alongside Sophie Evans, the Incubator tutor and accomplished ceramic artist to be guided through the process of making ceramic pieces that contribute to their individual connection to the school, or their relationship with it.
The completed sculptural installation is a stunning welded steel structure depicting the whenua meaningful landmarks of the whenua with painted panels and a range of handmade ceramic elements including lifelike tuna made by the students.
The artwork is large scale structure located in the landscaped area that not only fronts the School Entrance but is a busy high-profile thoroughfare of the New Bay Radiology centre, and the 17th Avenue business park.
School Principal or NHS project leader Cherien Anderson says, “With the completion of this collaborative project the school will have a powerful and symbolic depiction that reflects the story of the school’s place, its people and its purpose to members of the public but most importantly creates a sense of Kotahitanga, Whanaungatanga ownership and pride for the current and future students of this amazing school.” You might want to double check the context
A blessing of the artwork by kaumatua of Ngāi Tamarāwaho Tamati Tata was held alongside a celebration of the artwork, and what it stands for on 23rd November 2024.
