Te Arerenga Artist Residency

Te Arerenga Artist Residency

A two-phase design project in Rarotonga that operated as an artist residency until 2018.

Phase 1: Design and Build

Built on a piece of land inherited from my Dad, the layout of the space draws on research into the layout of traditional Pacific village living - with separate sleeping, eating and working areas/huts that focus in towards a central open space.

The design and build of the huts and space was a collaborative design project with plans for the kitchen and bedroom huts by Architect Fritha Hobbs. Palmex-thatched outdoor bathroom and artist studio space designed and built by Artist Sam Thomas. All interior spaces designed by Pouarii Tanner.

Phase 2: Artist Residency

Once the design and build was complete, in 2015 Sam Thomas and I co-founded Te Arerenga artist residency in the space. This project was the first sustainable creative model I designed and was fortunate to prototype. I am proud to say that since then, we have hosted over a dozen artists-in-residence independent of any galleries or educational institutes and this operational model has allowed us to stay open free from a dependence on grants or funding.

See work made by artists during their residency at Te Arerenga:

Hannah Valentine

Raukura Turei

Te Arerenga is the only artist residency from the South Pacific part of the Global Micro-residency Network.

READ: Te Arerenga Residency in Homestyle Magazine.

WATCH: Te Arerenga on Tagata Pasifika.

LISTEN: Te Arerenga on Standing Room Only with Lynn Freeman Radio NZ.