As part of our Craft Curriculum series, join Carin Wilson and Jacob Scott for a closing kōrero reflecting on the whakaaro shared over the past few weeks and provocations for the future to come.

In conjunction with the exhibition He maramara tupu aranga: Carin Wilson and 50 years of Aotearoa design, Objectspace has facilitated conversations that have considered creative practice – past, present and future. 

For the final session, Carin will be joined by long-time collaborator Jacob Scott to contemplate the threads each of the Craft Curriculum sessions have woven together and how these can be related to creative practice moving forward. This session will discuss shared projects and ideas and mark the closing of the exhibition.

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Carin Wilson (Mātaatua, Ngāti Awa, Tūhourangi) began making furniture in Ōtautahi Christchurch in the 1970s, after leaving law school to pursue a creative career. Since then, he has become a pivotal figure in New Zealand’s creative landscape, particularly advocating for Māori participation in design and urban development. He was a leader in the country’s craft movement in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, promoting dynamic discussion towards defining an aesthetic reflective of Aotearoa and advocating for the value of craft practice. Alongside his furniture making, Wilson has exhibited sculpture extensively, has taught at tertiary institutions and is founder and director of Studio Pasifika, a multidisciplinary design and architecture studio. Wilson has also held a number of leadership positions across institutions, including as founding member and inaugural chair of Ngā Aho: Network of Māori Design Professionals, president of the Designers Institute (1991–93) and president of the Crafts Council of New Zealand (1982–85). His practice continues to span different disciplines and kaupapa, including the 2025 sculptural commission Ngā Poutiriao Torohū and the further development of Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi.

Jacob Scott is recognised as a pioneer in contemporary Māori art and Māori arts education. He founded and was Head of the Eastern Institute of Technology's Art & Design School and led the development, accreditation and establishment of the Maunga Kura Toi Degree – New Zealand’s first degree level programme in whakairo, raranga, and rauangi. He is a past member of the Whakaruruhau Whakairo (National Educational Development Committee for Māori Carving) and was awarded Te Ara Whakarei lifetime membership of Toi Iho by peers for works of quality and authenticity. He is a founding Kāhui Whetū member of Ngā Aho and instrumental in the establishment of Te Aranga Design Principles.

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Objectspace’s Craft Curriculum event series is developed to accompany Carin Wilson’s retrospective exhibition He maramara tupu aranga, extending his work in advocacy and education around Aotearoa craft and design.