Roma Pōtiki (Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri) - I began writing poetry and waiata as a young woman and later worked as a playwright in Aotearoa and Sydney on plays built within community and collaborative theatre making processes, that came from a kaupapa Māori base. I am a published writer. I have worked in events, concept development or curatorial roles at the Rotorua Art Gallery (in the Museum building), City Gallery Wellington, The New Zealand Festival, Te Papa and Te Manawa.
I am a supporter of Ngā Kaihanga Uku (a collective of Māori clayworkers) over many years. Recently I collaborated with uku artist Paerau Corneal by interviewing her over several sessions, then working with her to edit her kōrero for the book Ngā Kaihanga Uku Māori Clay Artists by Baye Riddell.
Presently, my writing has largely contributed to exhibition work in my role as a curator at Te Manawa.
Francis McWhannell is a writer, gallerist, and curator. He holds a Master of Arts in Art History from the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau. He worked as a bookseller and auctioneer for several years before moving into art writing and curation. His first exhibition was a survey of the work of the University of Auckland’s Holloway Press held in 2014. He has written essays for shows at public and commercial galleries, has contributed to a range of arts and culture magazines and websites, and is the co-author of two books on historical photography. Since 2019, he has been curator of the Fletcher Trust Collection, a major private collection of Aotearoa art. In 2022, he and Jade Townsend opened Season, a commercial gallery based in central Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
Image: Robyn Kahukiwa, The Choice, 1972. Collection of Pātaka Art + Museum.
Photo by Mark Tantrum
