Gina Matchitt (Te Arawa Whakatõhea) is a New Zealand Māori jeweller, weaver and artist. Her work combines Māori pattern and language with contemporary

pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

brands and symbols.

Biography

Matchitt was born and raised in

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...

, and graduated from

Unitec Institute of Technology Unitec ( Māori: Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka) is the largest institute of technology in Auckland, New Zealand. 16,844 students study programmes from certificate to postgraduate degree level (levels 1 to 9) across a range of subjects. The main c ...

with a diploma in design (jewellery) in 1994. She returned to Unitec as a lecturer in the School of Design from 1996 to 1999, teaching in the areas of body adornment, metal history and Māori arts. Her first solo exhibition, ''Ngā Whiriwhiri'', was held in 1996 at Fingers Contemporary Jewellery Gallery in Auckland. Her ''Merchandise'' portfolio, representing external (Western) influences on Māori culture, won a Seppelt Contemporary Art Award in 1999 and was exhibited at the

Museum of Contemporary Art Australia The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), formerly the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, is located on George Street, Sydney, George Street in The Rocks, Sydney, The Rocks neighbourhood of Sydney. The museum is housed in the Stripped Cl ...

. She graduated with a masters of Māori visual arts from

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

in 2011. She and her family lived in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

from 2007 to 2012, then

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

for two years before returning to New Zealand.

References

External links

* 1966 births Living people New Zealand jewellers New Zealand Māori artists Unitec Institute of Technology alumni Massey University alumni Academic staff of Unitec Institute of Technology New Zealand women jewellers {{NewZealand-artist-stub