Visual artists Savannah Kerekere and Michael-Lydia Winiana picked up the Whakawhirinaki award at the Auckland Fringe Festival last month for their mixed-media workshop Mana Wāhine, Mana Tipua.
The award came with mentorship from Sharu Loves Hats, an Auckland-based boutique production company that worked to raise the profile of performers and artists around the country.
Whakawhirinaki meant to lean in to or trust what you were passionate about.
"And because we took that chance and leaned into our passion, they decided to give us the award," Ms Kerekere said.
The workshop debuted earlier this year at the Dunedin Fringe Festival, which received "amazing feedback" and the pair took home the Most Promising Māori Artists award.
It was "by chance" they were invited to the Auckland Fringe Festival, as its director happened to be in the crowd at the Dunedin award ceremony, she said.
"It wasn’t something we had in mind and we really didn’t expect to get an award in great big Auckland ... it was a really humbling, beautiful experience to receive an award up there."
Ms Kerekere said the workshop was about "connection, creativity and kōrero" and an exploration of colour and texture.
It made space for people to connect and create on a level they may not have experienced before, and was a great way of practicing mindfulness.
"I find when people sit and create together, they naturally start to connect and collaborate on ideas and then the conversation really flows.
"The kōrero starts to go away from what we’re actually physically doing and goes into other aspects of life."
Attendees traded the typical paintbrush for natural brushes made of flax and grasses, and used textures including pastes and sand.
It was also accompanied by a display of the pair’s artwork which explored themes of female empowerment and acknowledged gender-diverse wahine.
Further workshops will take place from 10.30am to noon and from 12.30pm to 2pm today at Errick’s.
