From February 2025 to June 2025, I embarked on a semester long study abroad experience in Aotearoa, New Zealand. I attended Massey University in Wellington, and enrolled in a diversified set of courses.
Among those courses was Mātauranga Toi Māori (Māori Art Knowledge) in which we learned a holistic approach to our creative practices. Through traditional Māori games, waiata (song), tikanga (customs), and kōrero tuku iho (history, oral traditions) I gained a new understanding of community, whenua (land), integrity, and how these aspects of life can be incorporated into art.
Another course, Textile Design: Intro to Print, led me on a journey through the Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush to choose a native taonga (treasure) plant species to become the subject of a series of screen prints. The work was tedious — we researched historical uses for our species, sketched life drawings, cycled through numerous iterations of our designs, and spent hours in Photoshop and in the print studio to generate three prints that reflected our species.
Beyond the engaging coursework, I spent my free time with kiwis in Wellington at restaurants and music shows, or enjoying picturesque landscapes and star-gazing with my roommates . I challenged myself to push past my fears by skydiving, learning to surf, and climbing the second deadliest peak in Aotearoa.
During my time in Aotearoa, New Zealand, I learned lessons that I will carry with me forever. I made new friends, been made small atop this beautiful earth we all belong to, created art past my limits, and came home born anew.
Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu — Adorn the bird with feathers so it may soar
Photo taken by Genevieve Kochanowicz.