Colleen Waata Urlich

Colleen Waata Urlich (b 1939) is a New Zealand ceramicist and belongs to Te Popoto o Ngāpuhi ki Kaipara and Te Rarawa.[1] Through education, involvement in Māori art collectives and production of exhibited work, Urlich is dedicated to the development of Māori art.[2]

Education

Urlich worked as a trained teacher before becoming a full-time academic study. She holds a Master of Fine Arts (hons) from the University of Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Applied Arts.[3]

Urlich conducted research on the influence of Lapita pottery patterns within the Pacific. This research was the basis of her Master of Fine Arts with a subsequent paper published in 'Pacific Archaeology: Assessments and Prospects'.[4]

This research also influenced Urlich's clay work, which is based on customary knowledge and often acknowledges Pacific genealogy and female Māori deities.[4]

Artist collectives

Ngā Kaihanga Uku was founded in 1986 in order to support Māori Clay workers. Urlich was a founding member of Ngā Kaihanga Uku, alongside Paerau Corneal, Baye Riddell, Manos Nathan and Wi Taepa.[3]

She is a committee member for Te Atinga, a platform that supports contemporary Māori artists that operates under Toi Māori.[5] She is also a member of Kauwae, a group of Māori women artists that formed in 1997.[6]

Urlich was a member of Ngā Puna Waihanga, a collective of New Zealand Māori Artists and Writers that formed in 1973. For the exhibition Kohia Ko Taikaka Anake whichwas developed in collaboration with Ngā Puna Waihanga, The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and Te Waka Toi, Urlich was the regional organiser for Te Taitokerau.[7]

In January 2015 Urlich, along with seven other artists with links to Te Taitokerau, travelled to Yeppoon, Queensland, to work for twelve days with a group of Aboriginal artists.[8]

Recognition

In 2015 Urlich received a New Years Honor and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Maori art. She is also a Justice of the Peace.[2][9]

Selected Exhibitions

Publications

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Reading, Nigel (2003). Kiwa pacific Connections: Māori Art from Aotearoa. Vancouver: Spirit Wrestler Gallery.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "New Years Honours: Colleen Urlich". The New Zealand Herald. The Northern Advocate. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Uku Rere: Ngā Kaihanga Uku & beyond. Porirua City: Pataka Art + Museum. 2013.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Colleen Waata Urlich". Toi Māori Aotearoa. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  5. "Visual Artists". Toi Māori Aotearoa. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Te Ao, Ngapine (1998). Kauwae: Māori Women's Contemporary Visual Art. Gisborne: Gisborne Museum and Arts Centre.
  7. Kohia Ko Taikaka Anake: New Zealand Largest Exhibition of Contemporary Māori Art. Wellington: Te Papa Tongarewa, Te Waka Toi, Ngā Puna Waihanga. 1993. ISBN 9780909010010.
  8. Collins, Mikaela (12 January 2015). "Artists share culture on trip". The Northern Advocate. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  9. "New Years Honours List 2015". Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 "Clay Artists". Māori Art Market. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  11. "Exhibitions" (PDF). Tairawhiti Museum. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  12. Toi Māori - small treasures. Porirua City: Toi Māori Aotearoa, Pataka Art + Museum. 2008.
  13. "Creative new Zealand announces delegation to attend 10th Festival of Pcific Arts". Creative New Zealand. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  14. "Manawa: Pacific Heartbeat". Spirit Wrestler Gallery. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  15. Cubillo, Francesca; Te Ao, Ngapine (2002). Sisters: Yakkananna, Kahui mareikura. Adelaide: National Aboriginal Cultural Centre.
  16. Urlich, Colleen Waata; Hakaraia, Libby (2008). Te Kāhui o Matariki. North Shore City: Raupo. ISBN 9780143009344.