Sandy Adsett is looking forward to coming back to Tairāwhiti.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Esteemed Māori artist Dr Sandy Adsett (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pāhauwera) spent 40 years of his life in Tairāwhiti and is returning with his retrospective exhibition Toi Koru.
The exhibition, which opens on May 10 at Tairāwhiti Museum, has 60 pieces of work from across six decades of Adsett’s life as an artist.
Adsett, 85, said returning to Tairāwhiti with Toi Koru was enjoyable as he had a deep connection to the region and its many artists.
When he lived in Gisborne, he worked as an arts specialist for the Department of Education by helping introduce a Māori arts programme to schools around the region.
He became the principal tutor at Tairāwhiti Polytechnic and helped found Toihoukura School of Māori Art and Design.
During this time, he got mentorship from Ngāti Porou master carver Pine Taiapa, who Adsett said was one of the biggest influences on his life as an artist and educator.
Later in life, Adsett became the principal tutor at Toimairangi School of Māori Art in Hawke’s Bay from 2003 to 2021 when he retired.
Coming back to Tairāwhiti for a retrospective exhibition was a special occasion for him.
“I am looking forward to spending time in Tairāwhiti and meeting up with the different people I know from my time in Tairāwhiti.”
He has kept up to date with developments at the Tairāwhiti Museum, in particular the representation of Māori on the museum committee.
“Tairāwhiti has great representation.”
He compared it to other museums and galleries where he said there was a lot of misrepresentation, as there might only be one Māori on the committee.
Adsett did not start as a Māori artist – he would paint portraits and landscapes; Māori art was not in his world.
“It wasn’t until I was asked by one of my cousins, Georgina Kirby, who told me there was this Pacific Arts Festival and there were no Kahungunu artists, so I thought to myself, ‘well, I need to produce something’.”
He saw the exhibition, found he enjoyed it and decided to focus more on Māori art.
“Pine Taiapa was so encouraging and his support was encompassing.
“I decided to stick to Māori art because I enjoyed it so much.
“I was never worried about what people thought, I just did it.”
Many of his pieces incorporate kowhaiwhai – Māori motifs – and are inspired by his experiences in life, including his connection to churches in Gisborne while he was here.
Matai O’Connor, Ngāti Porou, has been a journalist for five years and Kaupapa Māori reporter at the Gisborne Herald for two years.