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Sugar Loafing Arts Cast: Past Episodes 2023

Sugar Loafing Arts Cast showcases the diversity of arts in Taranaki and beyond. Hosted by Mikaela Nyman

Airing time: Your choice, on-demand

https://sugarloafing.wordpress.com/



A community arts radio show that challenges the belief that the arts are exclusive.

Sugar Loafing Arts Cast showcases the diversity of arts in Taranaki and beyond. Host Mikaela Nyman interviews artists, creative makers, writers and curators, and delves into art ideas and mediums, discussing a wide range of themes, such as decolonisation in New Zealand and Pacific art and literature, how to find inspiration, and the beauty of collaboration with other creative souls across art disciplines.

The fundamental idea of this podcast is to showcase arts and creativity and to inspire. Do you have a creative passion or want to share your ideas? Feel free to contact Mikaela on [email protected]

 

Sugar Loafing Arts Cast is supported and sponsored by:
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Podcasts

Click on the title of an episode to listen

WITT Art Students

The art students at WITT Te Pukenga Art and Design Taranaki are preparing for their End of Year exhibition. Jodie McEwan, Courtney Bisset-Yandle and Becci Phillips talk about their process, inspiration and designs. Music by art teacher Mark Raymer and his band À la Poupée and the Chine-Collés.

Duration: 00:38:34 | Date: 21 October, 2023

Rachel Lambert

Jeweller Rachel Lambert in Ōkato talks about her love of combining precious metals with deer antlers, mother of pearl and gifted materials.

Duration: 00:54:01 | Date: 14 October, 2023

Menz Shed

Skilled woodworkers Phil Taylor, Wayne Brunton and Dave Richards talk about MenzShed’s kaupapa of learning, sharing and supporting members’ wellbeing. Check out MenzShed’s exhibition in the ArtSpace in October!

Duration: 00:56:09 | Date: 7 October, 2023

Nicola Kawana - UPU

Taranaki-born Nicola Kāwana performs in the award-winning show UPU in New Plymouth in October. We talk about acting on TV versus the stage, about gaming voice-overs that went viral, and Nicola reads part of a poem by Brandy Nālani McDougall, Hawai'i’s current Poet Laureate.

Duration: 00:53:32 | Date: 30 September, 2023

Dale Copeland

Mikaela meets up with Dale Copeland at ‘Water under the Bridge’ - a retrospective of 30 years of Dale’s assemblage art at LUMEN gallery - and plays some Gumboot Tango for her.

Duration: 00:54:37 | Date: 23 September, 2023

John McLean and Chris McLean - Hit the Trail 2022

Taranaki and Aotearoa lost one of its giants with the passing of artist and former art teacher John McLean. This week’s show is a tribute to John and Chris McLean’s artistic legacy, to lives well lived and ongoing creative exploration. The interviews first aired on Access Radio Taranaki on ‘Hit the Trail’ in September 2022.

Duration: 00:49:50 | Date: 16 September, 2023

KareNZ Kitz

Weaver and educator Karen Clark in Waitara is taking her weaving into more artistic directions. As the owner of KareNZ Kitz, she also shares some valuable business tips. Check out Karen’s gorgeous weaving in the ARTSpace in the Top Town mall throughout September!

Duration: 00:57:10 | Date: 9 September, 2023

RYALTS_Michael Kingpotiki_Holly the Library Dog

September is Basic Education and Literacy Month. Lillian Haskins from The Rural Youth & Adult Literacy Trust and former farmer Michael Kingpotiki, who learned to read for his grandkids and wrote a book about it, talk about the power of literacy. We also meet Holly, Stratford’s certified canine pet therapy and library dog, and her owner Jane Roguski.

Duration: 00:45:23 | Date: 2 September, 2023

Suzette Goldsmith

Mikaela caught up with Suzette Goldsmith at WOMAD’s World of Words earlier this year. We talk about gardens, natural heritage and Suzette’s book of essays, Tree Sense: Ways of Thinking About Trees (2021), which emerged out of her PhD studies. Suzette reads an excerpt from the book.

Duration: 00:37:19 | Date: 26 August, 2023

Embroiderers Guild

Barbara Mullins, Eileen Fitzpatrick and Leslie Ault from the Embroiderers’ Guild talk about the ins and outs of embroidery and the strong interest among young people for sewing skills. Check out the Guild’s fabulous exhibition in the ARTSpace until the end of August!

Duration: 00:53:54 | Date: 19 August, 2023

State of Nature_S. Lee Good, C. Dolan, T, Forbes & M. Stoneman

This week features four of Taranaki’s contemporary women artists in the State of Nature – Picturing the Silent Forest exhibition at Puke Ariki. Sarah Lee Good, Michaela Stoneman, Coral Dolan and Tabatha Forbes have responded to the botanical paintings of artist Fanny Bertha Good (1860-1950)

Duration: 00:53:54 | Date: 12 August, 2023

Jan Huijbers and Andrew Doehring

Andrew Doehring’s exhibition ‘Wednesdays with Andrew’ opens at the Gover St Gallery on 5 August. Jan Huijbers has been mentoring Andrew over the past year, just like Andrew’s grandfather, George Boys, once mentored Jan. Mikaela and Jan talk about the things being passed down through generations, and the uniqueness of these talented artists.

Duration: 00:52:24 | Date: 5 August, 2023

Talei Mangioni

Talei Mangioni, a Youngsolwara activist and researcher, shares her insights into the history of the Pacific grassroots movements for a Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific and its relevance today, mentioning Japan’s intention to dump millions of tonnes of treated nuclear wastewater.

Duration: 00:46:16 | Date: 29 July, 2023

Te Waka Puka Puka The Mobile Library - Schools_Part2

Mikaela hitches a ride with Te Waka Puka Puka /the Mobile Library bus with Walter Crawshaw. In this episode we visit Waitoriki, Norfolk, Ratapiko and Kaimata rural schools. Later, we head up the coast to Mimi, Uruti and Ahititi schools and meet a hardcore book club at Tongaporutu. (Part 2 of 2).

Duration: 00:58:19 | Date: 22 July, 2023

Coco Solid

Mikaela and Zeal Taranaki rangatahi get into zines with Coco Solid. Of Ngāpuhi, Sāmoan and German descent, Coco Solid (a.k.a. Jessica Hansell) is an inspiring multimedia artist, producer, film-maker, rapper, musician and writer. Her novel How to Loiter in a Turf War (2022) is a lucid, genre-bending work of autobiographical fiction.

Duration: 00:49:35 | Date: 15 July, 2023

Sobranie Ngarin

Sobranie Ngarin is the ARTSpace artist for July. She shares her love for harakeke and positive mindset. We also talk about the Waitara Artists Cooperative and the upcoming Puanga exhibition.

Duration: 00:56:33 | Date: 8 July, 2023

Te Waka Puka Puka - The Mobile Library Urban Part 1

Puke Ariki library is celebrating 20 years in its current location. Mikaela hitches a ride with Te Waka Puka Puka / the Mobile Library bus in the company of the knowledgeable Walter Crawshaw. In this episode we meet booklovers in New Plymouth’s urban retirement villages (part 1 of 2).

Duration: 00:49:26 | Date: 1 July, 2023

Erryn Willcox & Carl Fairweather

Assemblage artist Carl Fairweather and painter Erryn Willcox run the South Taranaki Creative Space in Hāwera and art classes for adults and children. They’ve recently finished a community mural for the new cultural centre building site.

Duration: 00:50:32 | Date: 24 June, 2023

Gabrielle Belz

Check out the Toi o Taranaki Ki Te Tonga indigenous women’s exhibition in the ART space in June. Artists: Maria Brockhill, Tania Niwa, Charlotte Graham, Melanie Yazzie, Vanessa Edwards, Ashlee Robinson and Gabrielle Belz. This is a taster for the upcoming Kahui Mareikura Indigenous Sisters exhibition at Percy Thomson gallery in July.

Duration: 00:47:51 | Date: 17 June, 2023

Elaha Soroor - Kefaya

Mikaela caught up with Elaha Soroor at WOMAD this year, where Elaha performed with London-based band Kefaya. A traveller of Hazara heritage, Elaha wants to share the folksongs, culture and language of Afghanistan’s people with the world. All the songs in this episode feature Elaha Soroor, incl ‘Charsi’, made famous by folk musician Mir Maftoon.

Duration: 00:43:38 | Date: 10 June, 2023

Alice Cowdrey

Textile artist Alice Cowdrey specialises in needle felting and runs workshops under her Folk Felt name. Her work tells stories that draw on her Eastern European ancestry, myth, spirituality and queerness.

Duration: 00:56:16 | Date: 3 June, 2023

Janet Price - Disability Art

Disability Arts question the limitations society puts on people’s bodies and minds. Janet Price talks about equitable access, her advocacy for disabled artists and how to get artists and galleries to consider how they display their work to make art accessible for as many as possible in our community.

Duration: 00:55:17 | Date: 27 May, 2023

Marilyn Rea-Menzies

Marilyn Rea-Menzies is an amazing tapestry, painting, drawing and mixed-media artist. Her work has been commissioned for Government House. She is currently showing work at the Blue Studio Gallery in Opunake; the exhibition ‘Extinction is Forever’ ends on 29 May.

Duration: 00:55:20 | Date: 20 May, 2023

Alice Te Punga Somerville

Alice (Te Āti Awa, Taranaki) is a scholar, writer and a finalist in the Ockham Book Awards with her first poetry collection Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised. Alice shares insights into her journey and an unpublished poem especially written for Taranaki.

Duration: 00:57:32 | Date: 13 May, 2023

Alastair Ross and Film Festivals

Films and the upcoming film festivals at the Len Lye Cinema are the focus this week. Mikaela talks to cinema programmer Alastair Ross about the difference between arthouse films and blockbusters, and what makes a film memorable and Alastair shares some favourite music - with a film angle, of course.

Duration: 00:58:19 | Date: 6 May, 2023

Rachel Buchanan

Historian Dr Rachel Buchanan (Te Ātiawa, Taranaki) talks about Te Motunui Epa, a finalist in the Ockham Book Awards for illustrated non-fiction. Carved between 1750 and 1820, buried in a Taranaki swamp, illegally sold and smuggled offshore in 1972 - the story of the five epa features kidnapping, ransom payment and high-level politics that changed international law on the protection and repatriation of stolen cultural treasures.

Duration: 00:50:02 | Date: 29 April, 2023

Cherol Filbee

Hāwera artist and marionette maker Cherol Filbee shares all the tricks of the trade and the joy that goes into making marionettes and performing with ‘The Interluders’ at the Hāwera Repertory.

Duration: 00:53:34 | Date: 22 March, 2023

Lesley Dowding

Lesley Dowding is the Artspace artist in April. She talks about how her love for stage craft, photography and stained glass windows has influenced her current exhibition.

Duration: 00:43:52 | Date: 15 April, 2023

Paul Rangiwahia

Artist and well-being advocate Paul Rangiwahia uses words and images to manage his personal wellbeing. He talks about investing in yourself and his latest resources.

Duration: 00:50:22 | Date: 8 April, 2023

WOMAD Poetry Slam

This week’s Sugar Loafing Arts Cast is a WOMAD Poetry Slam special! Mikaela talks to local poets Anne Bayliss and Warren Smart in the lead-up to WOMAD. Warren ended up in the final two against Paekākāriki poet Kerry Dalton. Poet Laureate Chris Tse offers some useful tips and advice on what he is looking for in poetry, both spoken and in print.

Duration: 00:45:47 | Date: 1 April, 2023

Helen McLorinan & Kerilyn Douwes

When does a hobby become a job? Helen McLorinan Artist and Kerilyn Douwes talk about time management, pricing art, consistency of income and how their visual arts practice in painting and pewter has evolved.

Duration: 00:58:30 | Date: 25 March, 2023

Frances Rookes & Mikaela Nyman

Michelle Bent talks to the March ARTspace artists Frances Rookes and Mikaela Nyman about their joint exhibition of 2D prints and 3D knitted wire bodies, about things hidden within, body shaming, loss and the shadows they carry around - or, in this case, put on the wall.

Duration: 00:58:38 | Date: 18 March, 2023

Parihaka Biochar Event

Huhana Smith and Monique Jansen from the artists collective Te Waituhi ā Nuku: Drawing Ecologies and Phil Stevens from Slow Farm talk about biochar as a practical and creative response to climate change at a biochar burning event at Parihaka māra.

Duration: 00:41:09 | Date: 11 March, 2023

Heidi Griffin

Heidi Griffin, Chair of the Taranaki Arts Trail, gives us the ins and outs of the Taranaki Arts Trail which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Deadline for registering: 31 March.

Duration: 00:53:59 | Date: 4 March, 2023

Dave 'Tex' Smith

Dave ‘Tex’ Smith talks about innovation and collaboration, his digital art, building on indigenous story-telling, turning museums inside out and a new type of social media platform.

Duration: 00:56:23 | Date: 25 February, 2023

Ruha Fifita

Ruha Fifita talks about the extensive research and collaboration that goes into making tapa art on a large scale. Ruha’s work ‘Lototō’ can be seen in Te Au: Liquid Constituencies at Govett Brewster Art Gallery and in the spectacular retrospective Robin White: Te Whanaketanga | Something is Happening Here in Auckland. She is the Curatorial Assistant for Pacific Art at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art.

Duration: 00:58:07 | Date: 18 February, 2023

Jennifer Corbett

Jennifer Corbett is the February ARTspace artist. She talks about coming back to art as an adult, her Tourist Birds illustrations for her children’s books, and running after-school art classes in Waverley and Patea.

Duration: 00:54:26 | Date: 11 February, 2023

Printmaking

Printmaking is the focus for this week. Mikaela talks to Dimphy de Vaan, Mark Raymer and Michaela Stoneman about Print Council Aotearoa NZ and the publication of PROOF – Two decades of printmaking in Aotearoa.

Duration: 00:50:47 | Date: 4 February, 2023

Laura Campbell and Getting Exhibition Ready

Laura Campbell, Director of Percy Thomson Gallery in Stratford, talks with Mikaela about the practicalities involved in presenting art and getting exhibition ready, as well as the duty of care for both artists and gallery.

Duration: 00:56:22 | Date: 28 January, 2023

Te Kupenga Stone Carving

Acclaimed sculptors Renate Verbrugge and Jocelyn Pratt talk about this year’s Te Kupenga Stone Sculpture Symposium and their process for transforming hard andesite into playful, sensuous sculptures that defy gravity.

Duration: 00:59:29 | Date: 21 January, 2023

Marita Green Potter

Mikaela talks with potter Marita Green about pricing work and attaching value to art and craft. Pricing is a big challenge for many creative people, but an integral part of being a full-time artist.

Duration: 1:00:16 | Date: 14 January, 2023

LearnerMe with Jordan Huges & Casio Austin

Mikaela talks to Jordan Hughes and Casio Austin about the group exhibition by 10 LearnerMe digital graphic arts students that are showing in our ARTspace in January. Their self-portraits draw on a wide range of references from nature and the spiritual world to manga, anime and gaming.

Duration: 00:52:21 | Date: 7 January, 2023