Our lives are filled with the enjoyment of treasures. Capital Times talks with crafty people from around the Wellington region.

WEAVER Kohai Grace is in the frame.
Grace leads the Maori weaving group Whare Tukutuku who received the last round of funding from the YWCA Maori Women’s Transfer Funds. The outcome of the eight women strong group’s work is on display this month at the Iwi Art Gallery on Tory Street, where they have created intricate flax frames for an exhibition.
Grace completed a Masters of Visual Arts at Massey University in 2008.

Where were you born, and what were some early influences?
I was born in Whangarei and lived my first years in the far north. But most of my upbringing was at Plimmerton amongst my whanau / hapu on Ngati Toa ancestral land.   
When I was a kid my parents took me along to The Maori Artist and Writers hui, but I wasn’t that interested in weaving. However I did come in contact with the works of Ralph Hotere, Cliff Whiting, Sandy Adsett, Darcy Nicholas, and Selwyn Muru.
There are two weavers in particular who have been influential in my work; Te Aue Davis and Elaine Bevan, who made me think differently about what I was trying to do.
What kind of a kid were you, and which traits persist today?
I was very shy, and I’m still shy. I actually stumbled upon a weaving course quite by accident, and became hooked.
What is one of the first things you remember creating?
The first woven object I made was a small basket (kono) made of harakeke (flax). In the 1980s I began as a kete weaver, and moved on to tukutuku (lattice-work wall decoration) under Rangi Hetet (quite possibly the greatest weaver who ever lived), I was then introduced to whatu (fibre-weaving) and muka (scraping flax) under Erenora Puketapu-Hetet.
What was the first work you created that satisfied you?
During my first weaving course I made a kete whakairo (fine patterned basket), which was displayed at Te Papa in 1986.  
What is a recent work that you are especially proud of?
A dress made of muka (flax fibre). At the moment the elegance of historical cloaks captivates me – natural muka being my preference.
Is there a process you go through to enter a creative mind frame?
Karakia and a good coffee, for starters. Ideas often arrive when I go for a run.  
Are there any standout stories behind your art works, in the process of creation, or in the significance of the work?
In my work the most significance is given to the materials – all natural and native to Aotearoa.  The preparation applied to the materials is important to the final outcome and guides the creativity. Significant also is the use of ancient Maori weaving techniques which I predominantly use. Some pieces have stories or a kaupapa, some don’t. It’s what the work looks like that counts, and any story it may have is secondary, unless it has been created for a special purpose and you’re weaving for your people, such as a tukutuku panel or cloak for the marae or for the hapu.