Your occupation, job title, artistic discipline (or very brief description of what you do):

I describe myself as a curator and writer, but my practice is quite wide across visual arts, and a little hard to describe. The core is around working with contemporary artists and craftspeople to develop and sometimes show their work to diverse audiences.

What cities/towns have you lived in (or spent more than a few months in) beginning with the place of your birth?

Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, London (for over 30 years) and Tauranga since 2019.

What are the earliest stories you remember hearing? The ones that told you about the world?

As a young man my father worked for MetService in the 1950s and he lived for almost two years on Raoul Island, part of Rangitāhua (also known as the Kermadecs). There were just nine men there (no women in those days), and they all had to be multi skilled and self-sufficient. So, Dad was a senior radio operator, but also used his gardening and farming skills. I loved the sense of resilience, independence and humour that his tales conveyed, and see the way that’s shaped my world view as a citizen of Aotearoa. I also enjoyed my parents’ tales of their youthful travel in UK and Europe, which have definitely influenced my own life.

What’s your favourite Bay of Plenty landscape, park, building, location, suburb, or side street? Why?

I grew up in the northern suburbs of Wellington, so great views for me have big hills overlooking the sea. My favourite daytime view is from the lookout at Minden Road in Te Puna, but at close of day it’s any place where I can see the sun setting behind the Kaimai Range, with the harbour gleaming in the foreground.

What’s an average day in your life at present?

It’s a cliché I know, but there really is no average day for me. My mix of freelance and voluntary work, along with a lively and continuing interest in art, craft, music, architecture, poetry, theatre, food, walking and travel means that anything can and will happen.

What’s the one object from your home you would save from a fire?

Ever the freelance traveller, it would be a bag containing my laptop, diary and passports.

What music was present and still memorable from your youth/adolescence? 

I was a teenage punk and will adore Patti Smith forever, but also loved Joni Mitchell – her “Hissing of Summer Lawns” was the first LP I bought. Strong female singer songwriters are a major theme in my music collection.

For you as a creative person, who are three influential artists or thinkers?  

It’s no secret that musician, poet, writer, performer and activist Patti Smith is my all-time hero. But there are many others I revere for their creativity and thought. Professor Lesley Millar in the UK has made a profound impact on my career for almost quarter of a century and being mentored by her for my Make It OK art textiles project in 2015 was a career highlight. Artist Freddie Robins, also in the UK, is thoughtful, funny, massively talented and a pleasure to work with – her view of the world is darkly humorous, all expressed through knitting.

In one sentence, can you define creativity?

Creativity is the need to express an unending curiosity about the world, ideas, materials and inhabitants.

Where would you like to live, but have yet to?

So many places – a cool downtown apartment, a treehouse, but mostly I dream about a little shack on a hill overlooking the sea.

What words of advice would you offer an aspiring creative person?

Develop self-knowledge and be true to yourself.

What is your dream of happiness?

It’s probably that little shack overlooking the sea, good books and music, conversation with close friends over kai.

Has there been a particular moment where you surprised yourself by using creativity to solve, express, or connect?

I went to art school as a mature student to study art textiles and thought I would probably become an artist. I had no idea when I started that journey that I’d swerve a little sideways into arts administration and curatorial projects, or that I would mainly be working with not-for-profits. It turns out my blend of pragmatism and imagination is a good fit for the kind of work that makes me happy. I feel lucky.

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