Waikeri Sculpture Studio might be a new addition to the Raglan Arts Weekend but it brings together a group of very experienced sculptors.
The brainchild of Taimoana Meuli and Lucretia Bird, Waikeri Sculpture Studio will exhibit large scale stone sculptures in a picturesque nature walk located just a stone’s throw from Manu Bay.
They are looking forward to showcasing their work alongside other talented local sculptors, including Simon Te Wheoro, Pita Mataira and Maida Barker.
“There will be 25 full-blown, three-dimensional sculptures weighing from two tonne down to around 50 kilos,” Tai says.
The Arts Weekend will serve as a springboard for a permanent Raglan sculpture walk, initially located at the Wainui Road property and moving to another larger section on Whaanga Road in a couple of years’ time.
While this is the pair’s first foray into the Raglan Arts Weekend, they are no strangers to the world of art.
Tai has close to 30 years sculpting experience and many will have seen his work dotted around Raglan, including one at the entrance to Papahua Campground and the Four Directions sculpture collaboration at Wainui Reserve.
Lucretia previously worked in clay and small portraiture sculptures but has been out of the art scene for a few years raising a family. She is a newcomer to hard stone sculpting, taking her first steps at the Thames 2024 Ngakau sculpture symposium under the tutelage of Jocelyn Pratt.
She’s excited to work alongside Tai; “I’m very lucky to have Tai as a mentor and I’m learning the tools, learning how to scale up and learning the concepts of simplifying,” she says.
Her first stone sculpture, created at the symposium, will feature as the artist’s donation to the RAW Preview Exhibition.
“It’s a very humble bowl carved from Thames Maratoto Andesite rock,” she says.
Far from being a modest piece of work, Tai says; “A bowl teaches you the dynamics of using the equipment; from cutting, grinding, negative grinding and then polishing. So it teaches you the formula to be able to create large sculpture.”
The outdoor gallery has been a labour of love; the cabin, once used by visiting surfers, has been tidied up to welcome RAW guests, the bush has been whacked, tracks cut and gravelled, and a stream cleared to create a natural backdrop to the sculptures.
The land belongs to Christian Higgins, Tai’s old sculpting buddy, and in their work clearing the plot, Lucretia and Tai have even uncovered a relic of Christian’s work that will also feature in the exhibition.
All of the work will be for sale and a portion of the commission will be donated to an organisation close to Tai’s heart.
“I’ve chosen Coast Guard because I was in Coast Guard for many years and it’s imperative that they are supported because they save a lot of lives out here,” he says.
As well as a permanent sculpture walk, Tai and Lucretia plan on holding sculpture symposiums and hosting sculptor in residence in the future, and they are keen to teach sculpting to the next generation.
“Sculpture isn’t normally being taught past clay in a high school realm. So I’m on a bit of a mission to bring it back to the younger people,” Lucretia says.
Get your walking shoes on and visit Waikeri Sculpture Studio, 617A Wainui Road, Raglan – open Labour Weekend (26-28 October), 10am-5pm.
by Janine Jackson
