Fiona Gates resides in the rural Coromandel Peninsula with four of her five tamariki. Her small whare is adorned with a large collection of pottery and art pieces she has gathered over time.
I’ve been creating art for as long as I can remember.
As a child, my favourite activity was drawing. I’d carefully arrange my pens in rainbow order before each session, a reflection of my early obsession with colour.
If I asked you, what song are you? Or, which book are you? This might not make any sense at first sight, agree? But imagine that in the grand orchestra of life, it’s easy to find ourselves lost in the cacophony of doubt and comparison.
This is my third time writing about Creatives in Schools for Coromind. I have a personal connection to the mahi, but I’m also a fierce advocate for the arts. I believe the arts are a core necessity for people of all backgrounds, for enjoyment, entertainment and wellbeing. Which is why I stand in solidarity with arts advocates who are pushing for the reinstatement of the programme, after the Government announced in June 2024 it will cease funding.
We were 10, 11, 12 when we rode the eddy-wave. Storms high in the hills had swollen the river into a frothy churn of mocha-brown and bubbling white that surged through the valley, cutting into the high banks with the weight of all that rain.
Fiona Gates resides in the rural Coromandel Peninsula with four of her five tamariki. Her small whare is adorned with a large collection of pottery and art pieces she has gathered over time.
I’ve been creating art for as long as I can remember.
As a child, my favourite activity was drawing. I’d carefully arrange my pens in rainbow order before each session, a reflection of my early obsession with colour.
If I asked you, what song are you? Or, which book are you? This might not make any sense at first sight, agree? But imagine that in the grand orchestra of life, it’s easy to find ourselves lost in the cacophony of doubt and comparison.
This is my third time writing about Creatives in Schools for Coromind. I have a personal connection to the mahi, but I’m also a fierce advocate for the arts. I believe the arts are a core necessity for people of all backgrounds, for enjoyment, entertainment and wellbeing. Which is why I stand in solidarity with arts advocates who are pushing for the reinstatement of the programme, after the Government announced in June 2024 it will cease funding.
We were 10, 11, 12 when we rode the eddy-wave. Storms high in the hills had swollen the river into a frothy churn of mocha-brown and bubbling white that surged through the valley, cutting into the high banks with the weight of all that rain.
Coromind is a collaborative project that gives voice and a platform to the people from the Coromandel. Diversity is essential to us.
