The art of making things

Practising artist and Massey University Wellington lecturer Richard Reddaway has spent a good part of his life making wondrous things, usually by himself or with adult students. Now he’s working with kids to help with his latest show. By Simon Burt. Photos by Lucia Zanmonti.

Reddaway’s current Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History exhibition the body of the work/ it does no harm to wonder is a major survey of his sculpture and photomontage creations since the 1980s – but there’s a twist. Richard has solicited contributions of made objects from local craft groups and collaborated with the children of Masterton’s Douglas Park School as a way of involving the community in the event.

The idea came from an artist’s residency Reddaway recently enjoyed in Mexico. “I made some sculptural objects, they were meant to be worn. At the end of the residency we didn’t know what to do with them, but I met a young fellow who invited me to his local bar to drink some ‘pulque’ (fermented cactus juice). That led to an evening of people hanging out with my sculptures, we took them all down to the bar and these young people played around with them. It was interesting seeing how they reacted. From there I started making more things to be worn and this project seemed like a good way of carrying the idea on. It’s like, how do you make art more interesting for people, to get them engaged with it?”

Also passionate about connecting people with art, particularly young people, is Aratoi Educator Kate Devenny. A primary school teacher with a degree in visual arts, Kate has been in her dream job at Aratoi for 18 months. “I met Shaun Harkness from Douglas Park at a conference. We got talking and was I struck by the fact they have a dedicated ‘making’ space, that they believe opportunities for creating are a fundamental part of learning at their school.” So when ideas for the body of the work/it does no harm to wonder were being developed, Kate contacted Shaun. “I was thinking he could maybe pull together a group of 15 children, but it ended up being 50.”

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The Year 3/4 children work with the same brief as craft groups (Wairarapa Spinners & Weavers Guild, Wairarapa Embroiders Guild and Henley Mens Shed). It came in the form of six “rules for making”, including that the object must interact with the maker’s body, it must be fantastical not functional, and it should have two eye holes with specified dimensions. The makers should use their own skills and knowledge but try to make something “different”. While the adult makers have been largely left to their own devices, the school group had a making workshop and were encouraged to create a story about what they’d made. “What does it mean when you wear or carry the object you make?” Richard asked them. “It’s like going to a fancy dress party, you can become something else, something you can tell a story about.”

Kate Devenny sees the project as a massive opportunity for the children. “They’re working with a real artist – someone who’s living a life making art, creating something different for every exhibition. They’re learning about the process of bringing the exhibition to the gallery. They’re also working with the concept of stories, bringing them to life, how an object can initiate a story.”

Aratoi is a natural resource for schools and teachers to enrich their arts curriculum, Kate believes. “It’s really important that our children learn to be creative. Having a space like this is vital. Everything in this building is owned by the public, it’s part of the community. It tells the stories and holds the history of the Wairarapa. “To me, Richard’s project is a wonderful way of linking Aratoi to the schools and showing them its value.”

SEE THE EXHIBITION

Richard Reddaway’s broad range of work over thirty-plus years will be on display from 23 November 2019 until 23 February 2020. It’s funded by Aratoi and Massey University. The exhibition will latterly be accompanied by a publication, to be launched in February.

Aratoi’s education programme is funded by TG McCarthy Trust and Masterton Trust Lands Trust.