Mānawatia a Matariki!

Matariki presents us with a mid-year opportunity to pause, reflect and breathe...

We've asked some of our tutors and residents to step back, take a moment to zoom out and share some of their mahi.

Our studios are bursting with talented creatives who love to share, exchange ideas and support each other. Not all makers like to blow their own trumpet so sometimes we have to give them a little push!

Erin Douglas-Clifford - White Coast Jewellery

Erin began her tutoring journey at Christchurch Workspace in 2023 and has been a dedicated and consistent presence ever since. Over the past few years, she has balanced the demands of family life with two young children, the establishment of a small home studio, and the facilitation of jewellery-making classes. In quieter moments, Erin has also developed a social media presence and a website for her business, White Coast Jewellery. She is deeply passionate about tutoring and finds great fulfilment in supporting students as they create their first pieces of jewellery.

Over the past 12 months, I’ve set a personal challenge to dedicate more focused and intentional time to my craft. What I’ve discovered is that the more consistently I commit to it, the more naturally it integrates into my routine—what starts as a deliberate effort gradually evolves into second nature. This past year has also been about stepping beyond my comfort zone to share my work more publicly, including establishing a presence at local markets.

There is something quite special in transforming raw silver into pieces of meaningful expression. The making process holds a meditative rhythm, and there is a certain alchemy in the craft.

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Louise Hill 

Louise is a contemporary jeweller based in Pōneke, Wellington. Working in a range of media, she creates colourful pieces that draw on humour to make social commentary. She is currently the artist-in-residence at Workspace Studios & Toi Pōneke.

Receiving the Kapeu Residency has been a tohu nui—a significant signpost in my creative journey. The mentoring provided as part of the residency is helping me to ‘level-up’ my technical skills and to think strategically about where I want to go and how I am going to get there. 

Matariki is a time of renewal, of noticing the quiet progress we often miss in the day-to-day. I often ask myself ‘what’s one thing I can do today to move closer to my goals?’ Building an arts practice is building habits. The small daily actions add up, and when I pause to reflect, I can see the momentum I have built.

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Gloria Harvey

Gloria attended her first workshop at Workspace in 2021 and has been hooked ever since! This last year has been exciting for her practice, supporting the Workspace team with social media and tutoring, becoming a student in the Hagley College After3 programme, setting up social media to share her work, and taking the plunge to set up a studio at home!

Over the last year, I have better understood the importance of having creative outlet in my life. The act of creating and creative expression is vital to my overall mental health and feeling of fulfillment. This realisation has been a major motivator for me to set up a home studio and immerse myself as much as possible within a community of other makers.

The word or feeling that comes to mind when I pause to reflect is transition. There is a bit of lack of certainty around what my practice will look like practically as I try to balance it within all the other moving pieces of my life; as exciting as it is unsure. I am embracing this stage, understanding it is necessary as a part of my growth and development as an artist and am looking forward to seeing what comes out of it!

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Keri-Mei Zagrobelna 

Keri-Mei is a full-time jeweller and multidisciplinary artist based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. Alongside her creative practice, she works as a jewellery tutor and arts mentor, supporting the next generation of makers.

Her work is deeply rooted in a contemporary Māori worldview, with iwi affiliations to Te Āti Awa and Whānau-ā-Apanui. Drawing on a rich upbringing immersed in museums and the arts, Keri-Mei creates expressive, story-driven pieces that bridge adornment and visual art. While jewellery remains her primary passion, her practice also spans murals, sculpture, carving, photography, and installation.

 Keri-Mei is a proud bearer of the Toi Iho™ mark, which signifies genuine Māori-made art of high quality. Through her mahi, she strives to honour her heritage, connect with community, and uplift future indigenous creatives.

This past year has moved with relentless momentum. Since stepping away from my role as a tutor at The Learning Connexion to focus fully on my art practice, life has offered no pause. I’ve travelled far—exhibiting at Munich Jewellery Week, Nelson Jewellery Week, and most recently at Alta Forma Gallery in Melbourne—each experience a gift, a success, and a step forward. Alongside this, I’ve continued sharing knowledge in evening sessions at Workspace Studios.

And yet, this Matariki marks a quiet turning. For the first time in years, I am not part of any exhibitions. Instead, I am called inward—to rest, to reflect, to heal. I feel the presence of my ancestors more keenly than ever. I thank them—for their guidance, their protection, and for walking beside me on this path.

The anniversary of my mother, Krysia Zagrobelna’s passing falls on the 18th of June—divinely aligned with the Matariki season. As the stars rise, I remember her, and all those who came before. This is a time of remembrance, but also renewal.

I welcome this new year with an open heart, ready for what is yet to come. I look forward to making space—space for stillness, for personal projects long held in waiting, and for continuing my practice in the honour of my mother and our ancestors.

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Lily Wenmoth - Mothmade Jewels

Resident and repeat guest tutor at Workspace, Lily has spent the last year practicing and playing with new lost wax casting techniques in the studio. One creative highlight are her collaborative sculpture exhibitions with other artists.

The concept of the exhibition PLAY NICE is being done again with all new collaborative sculpture exhibition with glass artist Jarred Wright and ceramic artist Greta Menzies. Their next show opens 2nd August at Form Gallery in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Many meaningful projects have passed through my hands this last year. Among them were wedding rings for my cousin and his new wife, a ring that featured as the cover image for a friend's new song "Ridin High", and a whole exhibition worth of rings and collaborative sculptures for PLAY NICE that was held in Pōneke Wellington.

My biggest change this year has been the scale of involvement in the local arts community. I really enjoy making sentimental pieces for the local musicians I sees play, then end up having dinner parties with them. I have organised 3 community fundraising exhibitions that raised over $30,000 for aid in Palestine. I also celebrated the successful launch of the magazine called Symbiosis where I was features in a lengthy interview.

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Debbie Bishop - Creative Instincts

I am Debbie Bishop and I am the studio manager in Ōtautahi Christchurch. I have been a tutor for Workspace Studios since 2019. I am also the tutor for the Jewellery classes in the After 3 program at Te Puna Wai O Waipapa - Hagley College. 

Being able to tell a story through my work brings me a deep satisfaction. This body of work was an idea in 2017 that took time to evolve and was finally completed in time for Schmuck Rangiora exhibition in 2023. I have started working on some pieces that reflect the changes and growth in my life over the last five years.

Since Matariki last year, I have had the privilege of making some very special taonga for some treasured people in my life as well as share my passion with them.

Making the wedding rings of a Workspace colleague was a gift like no other. I put what I hope is a lifetime of love and happiness into the rings which they will carry with them in their journey.

Making Jewellery for the treasured wahine my son's have brought into my life is a labor of love. A silver and sea glass pendant was a gift I made specially for one of them. For mothers day I got to share my passion with them, I taught them all to make rings.

My goal for the next year is finding balance between nurturing the skills of others and more making of own.

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