Northland Report June-August 2026
Megan Squire and Hamish Oakley-Browne
May was a great month for printmaking in Northland.
Te Kowhai Print Trust artists travelled to Auckland and had a stall at the inspiring Printopia festival. Toi Whakaata artists exhibited at Eyes on Fire Gallery to celebrate 20 years as a printmaking group.
The young printmakers from the Print Your Own Money program at Te Kowhai Print Trust recently embarked on their first independent print market in collaboration with the Quarry Arts Centre. There was a great turn out and people had the opportunity to view the studios and the inspiring work of the students from the Print Your Own Money program.
Te Kowhai Print Trust celebrated youth week this year by participating in an amazing race instigated by Volunteer Northland. Over 50 young people from schools throughout Whangarei raced around Not for Profit organizations to win prizes. When they arrived at Te Kowhai they were face with a letterpress problem solving task in order to move onto the next station. They had to arrange wood type to make the phrase, GET INKY and use the Farley proofing press to print it. There was a lot of printed TEG YKNI before they realized what the trick was!
Pink Shirt Day was celebrated with a youth run printmaking activity day hosted by Ūkaipo, a youth lead mental health initiative, lead by former student of our Print your Own Money Course, Skye Sigley.
Toi Whakaata artist Jasmine Horton is teaching a cyanotype workshop at Te Kowhai Print Trust on the 13th June, participants will be learning techniques and trying out ideas for creating an artist’s book.
Wharepuke Print Studio in Kerikeri has a call out for printmakers to request workshops. They are currently working on plans for a print residency. The residential printmaking workshops/holidays cater for small groups of 2 or more. Workshops are tailor made so dates, times, number of days and techniques are flexible. Safer etching working with copper and/or aluminium plates drypoint, hard ground, soft ground, aquatint, wash resists, lift resists etc. On site, self -contained, cottage accommodation available at Wharepuke a Subtropical Garden of National Significance.
For further details contact Mark Graver studio@nontoxicprintmaking.co.nz