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Arts For All Network

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Taha Hotu

Arts Blog

 
 
 
 
 
  • Empowering tane to achieve excellence in artmaking

    I’m an experienced high school teacher and I’ve worked a lot with troubled young people in low-decile schools. I wanted to extend that and use my skills to make a positive impact on men in prison and so in In January 2021, I took up my role as Educational Arts Tutor at Hawkes Bay Regional Prison.

  • In awe of WAI

    It is with difficulty I write this. I feel the subject matter is sacred and I am but a child carrying a cup of coffee to his grandmother for the first time. A child with wobbly legs. I will do my best to not mansplain this. Instead, I will speak to how I have been moved by the art and the power I feel within it.

  • Arts torch shines the way

    Strong, connected communities in cities, towns and rural areas are vital for the ongoing health and wellbeing of their inhabitants. The strength and courage of the Auckland community – made up of many rich, diverse communities – have been demonstrated throughout the devastating floods.

  • Creativity wrapped around us like a korowai

    The inaugural online Ngā Wāhi Auaha Creative Spaces Conference 2022 brings fabulous opportunities to ignite possibilities, connect with others working in the field and to continue to develop our community of practice. 

  • Insights into reintegration and recidivism

    Lights up! A musician is playing a guitar. A table centre-stage has a paper sign on top of it reading “Probation Officer”. Pamphlets promoting different social services are scattered on the table where two men are sitting.

  • Pausing the awards to offer fellowships in 2022

    Te Putanga Toi Arts Access Awards have been our main advocacy event since 2008, celebrating  the leaders who pave the way for increased access to the arts for everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand. This recognition of creative and generous people has been an annual celebration we have come to love.

  • Embracing change: lessons from working in the US during the pandemic

    When I left New Zealand to work in the United States, I never imagined I would end up helping to guide a community arts organisation through the impacts of a global pandemic. Thanks to Arts Access Aotearoa for giving me the opportunity to share what I learned on that unexpected journey.

  • Research creates new knowledge and leads to solutions

    Research provides evidence, creates new knowledge and helps find solutions to problems. Take, for instance, the role of the arts in supporting the rehabilitation process of people in the justice system.

  • Whakairo in the Manawatū community

    A pilot whakairo course in the Manawatū community was run by members of the local iwi. The eight participants, all involved in the justice system, completed all ten weeks of the course.

  • Valuing indigenous art practices in Arts in Corrections

    If you want to find redemption and to rehabilitate then it’s essential to have access to arts and cultures … It’s a right, not a privilege, to have access to your culture,” said Rue-Jade Morgan, recipient of last year’s Māui Tikitiki ā Taranga Award.

  • Waking up with uncertainties

    Talofa! I wake up every morning with uncertainties. Will someone arrive to help me today? I rely heavily on the support people to get me up so I can get on with my week.  

  • Research on arts access here and overseas

    Initial findings from research undertaken in the European Union, as well as Switzerland and the UK, open a window on accessibility and the arts in 40 countries. Like New Zealand, the EU and all its member states have ratified the UN’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This Convention recognises disabled people’s right...

  • What being an arts and inclusion advocate means for me

    The choice to be an advocate and an agitator in an intentional way came about as I started to put audio description into action – after training in 2014. I’m still working on understanding what that means for and about me.

  • Participating in the arts “together apart”

    The conversation with four leaders from the Creative Spaces Network explored issues they are experiencing during CoOVID-19. Most are now familiar delivering distance-learning programmes and experiences via platforms such as Zoom and Team Meetings, Facebook and YouTube.

  • Creative Spaces Week raises visibility

    A key aim of the inaugural Creative Spaces Week 2020, running from 17 February through to 23 February, was to raise the visibility of the sector as a network of creative spaces across the country. The hashtag #CreativeSpacesWeek was well-used on social media to highlight the week.

 
 
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