Colleen Waata Urlich
KoTe Popoto o Ngāpuhi ki Kaipara raua ko Te Rarawa ōna iwi
About Colleen
Born 1931 in Te Kopuru, of Te Popoto o Ngāpuhi ki Kaipara and Te Rarawa descent, she was raised in Dargaville, where she continued to live, work and raise her own family. Well travelled, she stayed close to her roots in Dargaville where she passed in 2015. Her art tutor at Dargaville High School was renowned Māori sculptor, and later good friend, Fred Graham who no doubt instilled and nurtured her passion for art. Her love for clay was encouraged by artist and tutor Alec Musha, one of New Zealand’s first Māori potters and mentored by Reverend Māori Marsden in customary lore and knowledge of clay. Colleen was a member of the early Ngā Puna Waihanga Māori Artists and Writers Collective from the 70’s where she met clay artist Baye Riddell and later became a cofounder of the contemporary clay collective Ngā Kaihanga Uku in the late 80’s, along with Manos Nathan, Wi Taepa and Paerau Corneal. She was also a member of the Māori women’s artists collective Kauae which formed in the late 90’s. Together with Manos Nathan and Allen Wihongi, they co-formed Te Taitokerau Māori Artists Collective in 2010 from which selected artists assisted in setting up and curating the biennial Toi Ngāpuhi exhibitions and attended art cultural exchanges. Later in life, she left secondary school teaching to pursue her own studies gaining a Bachelor of Applied Arts in 2001 followed by her Master of Fine Arts with honours from University of Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts, published a thesis based on her research of Lapita Pottery patterns within the Pacific, Pacific Archaeology: Assessments and Prospects. This research heavily influenced her art making. She continued to make work based on Māori female deities and explore Lapita patterns in new exciting forms. Always busy she wore many hats, her skills and abilities to plan and organise were notorious. She was dedicated to all her roles, a mother and grandmother; an artist; an astute business person; a Justice of the Peace; she took on roles and responsibilities as a member of various board and committees locally, regionally and nationally; and she kept her whānau, hapū, iwi and marae close to her heart always. She was rewarded for her continuous support and dedication to Māori Arts in December 2014, celebrated in late August 2015 two weeks before her passing, with a NZ Order of Merit for her services to Māori art for over 50 years. She continues to be a mentor, inspiration and clay mother to many.
“Colleen's unexpected passing, only one week after losing close friend Manos Nathan in September 2015, sent shock waves across Aotearoa and was felt by friends and family further afield. Her reach within the arts realm was massive and everyone knew her as a Matriarch of contemporary Māori arts. Her presence within a room called for attention as her persona and voice held mana. She could even look regal while her hands were creating new clay pieces or setting up for yet another exhibition. Colleen was one of the founding members of Ngā Kaihanga Uku, Kauae Māori Women Artists Collective and Taitokerau Māori Artists Collective. Colleen’s passion and drive to promote, create and nurture excellence in Maori art was also in conjunction with other important personal roles such as being a mother and nana, a teacher, writer, educator, producer and curator of art exhibitions, fulfilling hapū/iwi and marae duties, a Justice of the Peace, she also sat on several committees and boards ranging from Te Atinga to the Museum of Dargaville. The humble apron deemed to be part of her uniform whether she wore it while she was catering at her Marae at Oturei or for other events or creating clay sculptures she still managed to look regal. Being a lifelong teacher she returned to the learning institution as a student at Northtec in Whangarei and gained her Arts Degree in Visual Arts then went on to achieve her Master of Fine Arts with honours in sculpture from Elam with her published thesis on the ancient Lapita pottery of the Pacific which supported her works. Colleen's work over her career was always strong and distinctive. She had created ceramic Maori female deities informing us of their important roles in Maoridom and then using her knowledge of the history of Lapita Pottery and Pacifica patterns she would adorned her works with them and these ancient patterns were also widely used by our raranga and ta moko artists for centuries. Colleen has exhibited all around the world and throughout Aotearoa NZ. She has sat on many committees and curated numerous exhibitions. Her influence, her mentorship, her art has had far reaching positive impacts on many lives. She was a dedicated artist and promoter of Maori art. In late August, only two weeks before her passing, she received her Insignia of an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit for her services to Māori art which spanned for over 50 years. A very proud day for her, her family and of course all of us who knew her. It was well deserved. Affectionately known by many names; Mum, Camp Mother, Tolly, Aunty, whaea Colleen, fire dragon, she was a mentor and inspiration for many and she will always be missed. We will leave you with these final words from Colleen with a couple of quotes about her own work in support of her Masters and a few special words upon discovering her upcoming investiture. “No one ever gets by, by themselves. My iwi, my marae, Toi Māori Aotearoa, Nga Kaihanga Uku, particularly the Artists Collective of Te Tai Tokerau and their superb artists and exhibitors – this is really a recognition of all those people.” (Northern Advocate, 31 Dec, 2014) “Academic studies into the ancient Lapita design aesthetic that entered the Pacific two thousand years before the birth of Christ, continue to inform my work, in fact they won’t leave me alone. I view my work as acknowledging the inheritance left to us by those ancient Proto-Polynesians, whose aesthetic also continues in the design elements used by our wonderful weavers.” (Te Pū o te Wheke, Toi Ngāpuhi Reaching out to the World, Ngāpuhi Festival Exhibition art catalogue 2014)”
From anonymous NKU member