Siobhan Ridgley

Siobhan Ridgley is an embroidery and textile artist. Lunatype, the embroidery project of Ridgley has popped up over Auckland in the form of exhibitions, curatorship and workshops within Monster Valley Gallery via “Broidery Bitches”, public workshops in Final_final and Studio One Toi Tū. The continuous motion of embroidery can help us to slow down in our busy lives while still feeling productive, functioning as both a form of stress relief and creative expression. Ridgely hopes to help people to find hobbies involving embroidery that work as healthy coping mechanisms for mental illness.

Maha Tomo

Ko Waikato me Ngai Tahu Whanui me Ngati Kauwhata me Rangitane oku iwi. Maha Tomo completed a Bachelor of Creative Arts at Manukau Institute of Technology under the guidance of many talented and amazing tutors who influenced and informed his practice. Maha is the lead Facilitator at Toi Manawa Arts. He enjoys Mahi toi (creating art) and works predominantly with Pounamu and bone. “I believe life is an emergence not an emergency and I enjoy being in creative spaces where we can all connect and have fun, Mauri ora!”

Georgia Hood

Georgia Tikaputini Douglas Hood is a contemporary ceramic artist of Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Raukawa, and Ngāti Pākehā descent. Based in Aotearoa, her creative practice is grounded in intuitive making and shaped by whakapapa, place, and community.

Jarad Bryant

Auckland-based multi media artist Jarad Bryant graduated with a printmaking BFA in 1992 and has exhibited widely, been a finalist in numerous art competitions and is represented in several New Zealand art collections. Jarad has been part of the Studio One community for nearly two decades, sharing his wide-ranging knowledge about art theory, practices and technique. He enjoys making learning accessible and helping people to recognise and utilise their creative and expressive potential.

Valerie Ong

Valerie is a recent graduate with a Fine Arts(hons) degree at Elam School of Fine Arts, with a practice focused on the difficulties on immigration, and the challenge of preserving a cultural identity in a contemporary multi-cultural society. Since graduating, she has worked in various creative institutions in Auckland, including Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Pah Homestead and Nathan Homestead. She joins the Studio One Toi Tū as a ceramic technician for our drop-in sessions.

Beth Serjeant

Beth Serjeant’s early experience in graphic design led her to examine the interaction and integration of text and imagery through print and letterpress in her art practice. Beth has worked with established New Zealand writers producing images in response to their poetry and has exhibited nationally and internationally. Beth has taught extensively and her popular courses on bookbinding and printing have been a part of the creative community at 1 Ponsonby Road for many years.

Alvin Xiong

Alvin Xiong is a multi-disciplinary artist specifying in integrating painting techniques into different mediums to achieve a new expression. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in oil painting from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in China and he completed his Master of Fine Arts degree at Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Xiong was the finalist in several New Zealand art awards. His works have been exhibited nationally and internationally. His book was published in Heidelberg Germany in 2011. As an independent curator, he focuses on curating exhibition between New Zealand and China.

Tanja Nola

Tanja Nola graduated with a MFA from Elam in 2003. Tanja’s teaching, which started in 1990, has spanned community groups and several tertiary institutions. “It is a privilege to teach and work with people and in particular young art makers. Over the years I have enjoyed finding new ways to help students to tap into their innate knowledge and to become confident in who they are and what they can do.”

Han Nae Kim

Han Nae is a Korean-born visual artist who has been exhibiting in NZ and Australia since 2002. Han completed a Master of Fine Arts with First Class Honours at the Victorian College of Arts in Melbourne in 2012. During her VCA years Han Nae was awarded prestigious accolades and was invited to deliver a drawing workshop for students across multiple visual art disciplines in the school.  She has conducted classes and workshops as a visiting artist at Guangxi Art College, China. Han’s works have been purchased into a number of fine collections including the Wallace Arts Trust, Saachi & Saachi, VCA and the Athenaeum Club.