Pledgeme Campaign Launched!

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*Support us to help make the 2025 Living Wood Fair happen*


Show us you want another Living Wood Fair by pre purchasing your tickets, a t-shirt or a very special workshop via our Pledgeme Crowdfunding Campaign.

Without this crowdfunding we will not be able to make the Living Wood Fair happen on 12-13 April 2025.

We love our community and we are committed to putting on another fantastic event but we have been unsuccessful with our usual funding and sponsorship routes which in the past has subsidised our entry and workshop tickets, and reduced the risk of putting on the event. We are reaching out to all of you who love the Living Wood Fair to show your support with your pledges, we have a big target but we only need half of the people that came in 2021 to buy your tickets now and we will be able to put on the event in April.

On our Pledgeme campaign page we go into more detail about how much we need and why, including our ‘stretch goals’ in case we totally go beyond our target. I have high hopes that YOU – our community – are willing and able come to the table for this beautiful event so that we can come together on 12-13 April 2025.

PLEDGE HERE

As well as the usual workshops, talks, forums, live music, kids zone, markets, demonstrations and timber auction you can expect from the Living Wood Fair, there are some exciting new additions to our offerings for our 2025 event, including camping, evening music and a night market on Saturday.

Stay in touch to keep up to date with all the unfoldings please share our Pledgeme Campaign far and wide to help make this fantastic event happen; like, comment and share our Facebook and Instagram posts; and click *going* on our Facebook 2025 event page to keep track of what is happening. If you want to find out first when the workshop tickets are released then sign up for our newsletter mailing list.

Help nurture our beautiful event into life by showing your support.

PLEDGE NOW

May the forest be with you!

Sacred Arts at the living wood fair

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Among the many exciting workshops, activities and entertainment over this two day event, renowned artists Robin Slow, Brian Flintoff, Bob Bickerton, Ariana Tikao, Holly Tikao-Weir and Solomon Rahui are collaborating to bring art, music and storytelling together as they play and talk about Taonga Puoro – traditional Māori musical instruments. 

The result of an enduring relationship and philosophies shared between artist and teacher Robin Slow; taonga puoro carver Brian Flintoff, and musician and recording artist Bob Bickerton, the collaboration will bring ancestral stories to life.  Bob Bickerton arranged the music, with vocals provided by Holly Weir-Tikao, Solomon Rahui and Arts Laureate composer and performer Ariana Tikao of Kāi Tahu descent. 

Comments Robin Slow: “Our kaupapa has been to work together, using painting, carving and music to bind narratives that help reflect the whakataukī; ‘Plait the rope that binds the past to the future’”.

“We are delighted and privileged to work as a group of friends who believe that our varied art forms, visual and musical, are powerful vehicles that convey treasures held in traditional stories, sayings and concepts,” adds Brian Flintoff.  “We offer this in the hope that this combination of sounds and sights create an experience that can enrich others’ lives in the same way it does for us”. The group will be offering a workshop on how to make two of the taonga puoro; the kōauau (wooden end blown flute) and the porotiti (wooden spun disc) (9.30am Sunday: Workshops Tahi) as well as a presentation on the whakapapa and rich stories behind a wide range of instruments (3.30pm Saturday: Kōrero Rua).  A further short presentation for children explores some of the instruments’ relation to creation stories and other ancient tales (2pm Sunday: Kids Zone).

Ariana, Holly, Solomon and Bob will perform several times over the weekend including a performance on the main stage (1.30pm Saturday) and a ‘short listening experience’ Te Hā o te Ao Tūroa in a secluded part of the ngahere (bush) near the Fairholme Gallery homestead (Saturday: opening ceremony, 11.15am, 12.15pm; Sunday: 12.45pm, closing ceremony).  

Fairholme Gallery is proud to present a wood-themed exhibition to tie into the Living Wood Fair, Forest Treasures. The Forest Treasures exhibition will showcase their work along with a selection of artworks from a number of other established artists: painter Sarah Thomas, sculptors Tim Wraight, Grant Knowles and Jocelynne Bacci; fibre artist Bronwynn Billens; printmaker Kathy Reilly; jeweller Geoff Williams; wood artist Steve Halton, photographer Murray Hedwig and furniture-makers Chris Astill from Takaka, and Ben Grant and Amy Short from the Centre of Fine Woodworking in Nelson.  The front garden will also feature sculptural works by Darryl Frost and David Carson with seating by Humfrey Newton.

Forest Treasures will open to coincide with the Living Wood Fair on 17th April and continues for a further 3 weeks until May 9th. Koha entry for the gallery.

Tickets for the Living Wood Fair are available from Eventfinda until 16th April at 1pm.  $25 + bf for a daily pass; $40+bf for a weekend pass; concession $15+bf per day.  Kids under 16 are free.  Workshop fees are add-on tickets. Get in early as workshops sell out quickly.  

https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2021/living-wood-fair2/nelson-tasman

Very limited cash only door sales. Please note this is a no dog event as we have horses working on site.