This new group of supporters joined the gallery ahead of the launch of Pohewa Pāhewa: a Māori design kaupapa, the first exhibition in a three-part series celebrating Māori design practice and interrogating Western design practice through a Māori lens.

The show features a collection of kaupapa that express Māori design as a balance of radical innovation and consideration of critical knowledge gifted by tupuna. From T-shirts to harakeke to paving stones, the exhibiting work speaks a design language not found anywhere else in the world. A language that forward-thinkers within the design industry want to see more of, and louder, in our everyday lives.

In the lead up to Pohewa Pāhewa opening, the soon-to-be founding members of the Designers’ Collective gathered one evening at the gallery and pledged annual gifts to Objectspace. This backing from sector leaders will ensure one major design specific show is delivered every year, and renews the galleries commitment to champion the best of design in Aotearoa — alongside creating a space for critical conversation lacking in the commercial design world.

Private support for public galleries is not as common or visible in Aotearoa as abroad, but is on the up despite wobbles over the economic climate. The Designers’ Collective is now 18 strong and growing, joining the galleries existing donor groups and partners. The new group is modelled after Objectspace’s existing Architects’ Collective, which united to support the galleries capital build and relocation to Rose Road in 2017 and continues to champion the gallery through philanthropy. With a range of practices and individuals giving at different levels, the Architects’ Collective supports one major architecture exhibition a year, and has become a ‘sense-checking’ network for the galleries architecture focussed programming.

Alongside the injection of enthusiasm and resource offered by the Designers’ Collective, Objectspace celebrated Pohewa Pāhewa opening with acknowledgement to Bremworth, Jagas and PSP. It is clear when visiting the gallery that it’s not just in-kind product that has made this exhibition possible, but the time and technical advice of people with real world experience. People who live and breathe design and its application, stepping up to see the future of their field platformed by New Zealand’s only craft, design and architecture gallery.

Find out more at www.objectspace.org.nz.

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