Welcome to Real People @ Mosaic for 2008. Some courses we have available in term 1 are Literacy and Maths, Basic Woodwork and Wood Sculpture, Expeditions, Mask Making and Matariki – Kite Making. We also have 3 courses of Art Studio in which students are learning drawing, the art of printing and painting. We also have a course of Digital Photography, one we have done in the past in which students have taken photos and have got used to using cameras while our tutor, Mike Adams has done the work of printing the photos and saving them in a computer. In this course, this time we are doing more trick photography and we ( the students ) are going to learn to do the work at the computer that Mike has been doing for us.

Another new course we have is Cafe Press. This involves anyone who has artwork to be sold placing photographs of their work on the website to have them printed on cups, glasses, bags and clothing such as T shirts or sweat shirts and having these sold on line. This term we have seen a general increase in attendance with the arrival of 8 new students, among these we welcome Eve Rae back after a short absence. Although we have 3 courses of Art Studio as mentioned above when doing their work students are given the option of doing whichever they choose of the 3 ( painting, drawing or printing ) to enable them to finish any work they are doing in time for any up and coming exhibition it is going into. Our programme is set in such a way as to coincide with any up and coming exhibition that either we are having or is on in the community to which we are contributing work.

Matariki is the Maori name for the Pleiades, a small cluster of stars that rises once a year, appearing on the tail end of the Milky Way in late May – early June just before dawn. As it rises it comes into view on the northeasstern horizon. This heralds the Maori New Year. Traditionally it was a time for remembering the dead and celebrating new life. In the 21^st century observing Matariki has become popular again. Heaven bound kites, hot air balloons and fireworks help mark the occasion.