Mā te Rourou: Māori Education and Innovation Through the Visual Arts in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

This chapter explores education through the development of Māori visual arts in Aotearoa New Zealand, in particular, the contribution of key twentieth-century artists to changes in customary art forms through their work in schools and tertiary institutions often in collaboration with tribal communities. A key role such artists played was in promulgating Māori culture as integral to art education in New Zealand the impact of which over time has led to some revolutionary innovations in traditional art forms. To illustrate the dynamic changes, the chapter focuses on one such innovation in art form, that of tukutuku or lattice work, both within the traditional context of marae settings representing communal projects and more recently by Māori graduates of tertiary-based indigenous visual arts programs exhibiting in community and mainstream gallery settings.