Rip & Sip: Cut, create, connect

Rip & Sip: Cut, create, connect

Take the idea of ‘paint and sip’, swap the paintbrush for paper, patterns, words, photographs and collage materials, and settle in for a creative session with a difference and a cozy side of tea, coffee or juice.

Rip & Sip is a relaxed scrapbooking and vision-board workshop inspired by mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori. Through creativity and gentle prompts, participants will be invited to reflect on the people, places, values, experiences and aspirations that shape who we are and where we are going.

Drawing inspiration from concepts of connection, whakapapa, tūrangawaewae, whanaungatanga, hauora and looking towards the future, participants can create a scrapbook page, collage or vision board that is uniquely their own. There is no ‘right’ finished product - your creation might capture the people and places that keep you grounded, the values you want to live by, hopes for yourself or your whānau, or simply the things that bring you joy and support your wellbeing.

Along the way, we’ll explore how creativity can help us think about connection - connection to ourselves, to others, to place, to culture and to the things that give our lives meaning.

This isn’t an art class, and you don’t need to know how to scrapbook. You also don’t need any previous knowledge of mātauranga Māori or te ao Māori. The session is about having a go, sharing space with others and allowing the creative process to take you somewhere you might not have expected.

So grab a cuppa, find the images and words that speak to you, rip, cut, layer and create something that tells a little of your story - and perhaps something about where you want that story to go next.

Ordinary Wonders includes a five-week programme of FREE workshops, performances, conversations, film screenings, and creative activities designed to celebrate connection, belonging, and the memories that shape our lives.

All events are FREE, but registration is encouraged, with limited places available for some workshops.

No previous experience needed. All materials provided.

Suitable for all ages. Under 13 years to be accompanied by a caregiver or parent.

About the host, M Winiana Artistry

I te taha o toku matua

Ko te Mauitikitiki a taranga te maunga

Ko te Wairoa-hopupu-honengenenge te awa

Ko Takitimu te waka

Ko Ngāti Kahungunu te iwi

Ko Wimaroro te hapu

Ko Taihoa te marae

I te taha o toku whaea

Ko Whakarongorua te maunga

Ko Utakura te awa

Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te waka

Ko Ngāpuhi te iwi

Ko te honihoni, te popoto, te ngahengahe nga hapu

Ko Mokonui-a-rangi te marae

Ko Winiana te whanau

Ko Michael-Lydia toku ingoa.

He tauira o te reo Māori. E noho ana au i Ōtautahi. Kaore au e ako, heoi, ka mahi au i nga mahi toi mo tenei wā.

I have worked many jobs. I am a trained barista, I've taught kapahaka at primary school, I threw a hand to teaching te reo Māori for a publishing house, I've been a checkout chick, and I've even driven a ute for a weed spraying team. But none of these jobs have brought the exhilaration of leaving the security of a mainstream weekly paycheck to pursue my creative ventures.

The touch, the sound, the emotional connection of exploring art in all of its forms is my way of speaking to the experience of life. Not only this, but it connects me to the whenua, ngā Atua and my tupuna who walked this earth before me. Through my body and down into the tips of my paint brushes run the energy of a creativity that is greater than just me.

Learn more about M Winiana Artistry