Airing time: Your choice, on demand.
Hit the Trail is a seasonal community radio show dedicated to showcasing the annual Taranaki Arts Trail, Centuria Taranaki Garden Festival, and Taranaki Sustainable Backyards Trail which, in 2022, takes place from Friday 28 October to Sunday 6 November.
In the lead-up to these events, Mikaela Nyman interviews artists, gardeners, and community members of all ages about their passion, their inspiration and the hard work that goes into making it a joyful and interesting experience for visitors. Listen to artists and gardeners talk about their art and the practical and inventive solutions they’ve found to common and vexing problems.
Check out their websites and event programmes at:
https://www.sustainablebackyards.org.nz/
Podcasts
Click on the title of an episode to listen
Glascroft Garden & 3 Coordinators
Mikaela talks to Julian and Olivia Shimmin, owners of Glascroft in Pātea (Taranaki Garden Festival #40) about their eleven garden rooms inspired by the arts and crafts movement. This year’s ‘Hit the Trail’ ends with a korero with the three coordinators - Tetsu Garnett (Centuria Taranaki Garden Festival Manager), Brittany Ryan (Sustainable Backyards Manager), and Niki Jenkinson (Coordinator Taranaki Arts Trail), with some encouraging tips for the future.
Duration: 00:58:05 | Date: 25 October, 2022
Beth Armstrong & Shirley Greenhill
Mikaela talks to artist and textile designer Beth Armstrong in Oakura (Taranaki Arts Trail #76) about her botanical watercolours and cool fern wallpaper designs. Shirley Greenhill (Taranaki Garden Festival #41) takes us on a tour through the Greenhills gardens in Stratford. We talk about getting festival ready, her humorous coffee-table book ‘I am in the garden’, dried flowers, and ‘The Art & Poetry of Gin’ event at Fenton Street Art Collective (Events p. 60).
Duration: 00:59:08 | Date: 18 October, 2022
Mike Brown & Roxanne White
Bone carver Mike Brown of Mokau Bone Carving (Taranaki Arts Trail #40) takes an interest in people, their connections and spiritual journeys and expresses it in his exquisite carvings. Roxanne White of Roxicards (#45) is a scrapbooker and card maker extraordinaire. She is also part of the Mad Hatter Garden Tea Party in the Centuria Taranaki Garden Festival (Events p. 61).
Duration: 00:58:26 | Date: 11 October, 2022
Tasha Waterson & St Mary's Community Garden
Mikaela talks to artist Tasha Waterson (Taranaki Arts Trail #31) about the beauty of life drawing and how she transforms her line drawings into 3-dimensional metal sculptures. Anne visits a new community garden project in Hāwera focusing on education, learning experiences, and growing kai. St Mary’s Community Garden (Sustainable Backyards #28) involves local community groups, schools, businesses, and individuals.
Duration: 00:42:34 | Date: 4 October, 2022
Karen Clark & Perth Maculture
Mikaela talks to weaver, teacher and fibre artist Karen Clark of KareNZ Kitz in Waitara about her 30 years of practice to refine her harakeke art and craft. This is the first time she opens her studio for the Taranaki Arts Trail (#6). Anne checks out berry houses, permaculture, raised lasagne and Hügelkultur beds at Rose and Daryl Anderson of Perth’maculture in Hāwera (Sustainable Backyards #30).
Duration: 00:44:51 | Date: 27 September, 2022
Peihana Farm & Chris McLean
Mikaela visits Peihana Farm (Sustainable Backyards #17) and talks to Maria Lempriere about sustainable gardening, using surplus produce to put cash back into the local economy and workshops on offer. Mixed Media artist Chris McLean (Taranaki Arts Trail #1) talks about her arts practice of using organic and inorganic found objects, and how it all started with embroidery and a fascination with “colouring in” with cotton.
Duration: 00:48:23 | Date: 20 September, 2022
Krismarlianti Donaldson & John McLean
Newcomer Krismarlianti Donaldson, of Tantrum studio in Manaia (Taranaki Arts Trail #65), tells Mikaela how New Zealand has influenced her art, including her lines and colour choices. John McLean (Arts Trail #2) paints from his home in Urenui and finds inspiration in the coastal landscape and the magnificent Mimitangiatua Awa (Mimi river). We discuss environmental concerns, how to paint water, and John’s book The Farmer’s Wife and the Farmer that came after the paintings.
Duration: 00:43:33 | Date: 13 September, 2022
Tabatha Forbes
“Gardeners are the ultimate artists,” artist Tabatha Forbes said when Mikaela visited Forbes & Flay studio gallery in Ōpunake. We talk about sound art, Elam, botanical art and the workshop in botanical drawing Tabatha will hold at Puketarata in Hāwera during the Centuria Taranaki Garden Festival (Events p. 58).
Duration: 00:53:19 | Date: 6 September, 2022