I hold occasional workshops for both beginners and advanced weavers.
(There are no workshops scheduled at present.)
The venue is usually the Ngatimoti Community Rooms, Motueka Valley Highway, Ngatimoti, Tasman, which are set in a reserve with its own pā harakeke, and has a view of the beautiful mountains of the Kahurangi National Park. However if you would like a workshop in another area, and have eight or more participants, I may travel to it, depending on the location. Travel expenses will be added to the cost of the workshop.
Workshops for beginners:
Learn how to weave a small 2 or 4 cornered basket, or kete, using traditional weaving techniques, similar to the smaller baskets in the front of the first image on this page. This is a versatile basic technique which can be used for a number of different projects.
Alternatively, learn how to weave a large container, or waikawa, similar to the larger basket in the second image on this page, using a different weaving technique that uses the whole flax leaf. This style has become popular as a shopping basket instead of using plastic bags.
There is also the opportunity to learn to weave a couple of the simpler flax flowers.
Workshops for more experienced weavers:
An opportunity for more experienced weavers to complete advanced projects, with my guidance. To date the advanced projects have included a sun-visor style hat, or pōtae, an open weave basket, or kete kupenga and a backpack, or pīkau and I am open to other suggestions. Some preparation is generally required to be completed before the workshop.
Examples of some of the workshops I’ve run:
- Between 2016 and 2020, the majority of the workshops I held were on behalf of Tutoring for Charity Trust, raising funds for KidsCan, and Catapult Employment Services Trust.
- Half-day workshops for making cordage
- Charity workshop at Sefton Hall 2016 held to raise funds for my 92 year-old stepmother’s only grand-daughter to return to New Zealand from the UK and spend some time with her grandmother. We raised over $1,000
- 2-day workshop for children at Camp Quality 2015
- Weekend workshop on Waikawa Marae 2012
- 2-day workshop in Hanmer for the Amuri Autumn School
- 2 short presentations on flax basket-weaving for the 2012 Creative Fibre Festival
- 1-day workshops in Waikuku for Waikuku Artists Inc
- A series of workshops in Norfolk Island for the Norfolk Island Community Arts Society
- 2-day workshop in Methven for the Methven Summer School
- 2-day workshop in Mount Somers at the Minerals to Art Festival
- 2-day workshop in Queenstown for the Queenstown Art Society
- 2-day weekend workshops in the Christchurch Arts Centre
- A team-building workshop for an insurance company
- 1-day workshop for a Floral Art Group
- A series of creativity workshops in a primary school for an art/craft module
- Short workshops in the Christchurch City Council’s Kidsfest holiday programmes
- Children’s workshops in holiday programmes for OSCAR and primary schools
- A co-operative flax weaving project for the delegates at the national OSCAR conference
© Ali Brown 2006. Last updated 2021