Kids & Whānau Create

Get creative with your whānau at our free drop-in art-making sessions every weekend and during school holidays from 11am–3pm.

From 2–31 August: Beaded Eels

He manawa piharau
A heart of an eel

This whakataukī (proverb) refers to an eel’s determination and endurance to swim upriver against the odds.

Brett Graham’s powerful sculpture, Wastelands, 2024, which you can see on the Ground Floor, depicts a pātaka (storehouse) covered in tuna (eels).

Make sure to visit this stunning artwork before making your way to the Kids & Whānau Create area in Te Ātea│ North Atrium. There, you can make your own tuna taonga (treasure), using wooden beads to recreate the whakairo (patterns) seen on Graham’s sculpture. Keep this taonga safe to remind you of the value of these beautiful creatures and their habitats.

 

From 6–28 September: Suitcase Homes

South Korean artist Do Ho Suh, is known for his large fabric copies of buildings where he has lived and worked. Because they are made of fabric, they can be folded and carried – he calls them 'suitcase homes’. You can see one of these artworks, North Wall, 2005, in Te Ātea | North Atrium on the Mezzanine Floor.

Make your own suitcase home in Kids & Whānau Create! Imagine a place you love, recreate it, then fold it up and take it with you – reminding you that home is not just a place, but something you carry with you wherever you go.