Maungarongo Ron Te Kawa (Ron) is the consummate storyteller, yet not in the traditional sense. Ron uses his expertise as a quilter to share his stories, many of which come to him as he sleeps.
“Many of my designs come to me in my dreams. I do a lot of work in my sleep and sometimes wake up exhausted. I feel my stories in my puku and then I explore these to find the ones that have real meaning. I give 110% to my quilting, so I must invest in the right stories,” says Ron when explaining his inspiration and process.
Ron has always sewn. One of his earliest memories is sewing as a child and when at Tararua College in Pahiatua he started making his own clothes.
“Sewing and making clothes gave me financial freedom. I was able to earn money and learn new skills. I won some awards for sewing at school and I put the money towards buying my first sewing machine. I always knew I wanted to move to the city and the money I was earning gave me the freedom to move to Wellington where I took a job in a costume hire company alongside gaining other work experience. I was named a finalist in the Benson and Hedges fashion awards and that gave me the confidence to open my own shop with a friend. We made mistakes together.”
Ron started sewing quilts after volunteering with the Aids Foundation for their memorial quilts. “I also received a grant from the Department of Internal Affairs to train myself in quilt making. The storytelling work I do now is just an extension of that moment.”
He started teaching sewing and quilt making with REAP where he led courses on whakapapa quilts that told a person’s story. For Ron, the quilt becomes a metaphor for a hug that wraps your body in the telling of your story.
“Quilt making is about creating a safe space. I can connect to myself and make a sacred space to create freely (Te Whare Pora). I can draw in the energy of nature (Hine-te-iwaiwa) and I have my river of champion ancestors near me. This is what I like to share within my classes. When people are telling their life story you need to break through to reveal the truth and honesty that lies underneath. Once you achieve this it becomes a celebration, but this only happens when you take a risk. I am just the champion for others, helping them to hold their space.”
Ron says when he started the classes he thought it would just be a simple case of teaching sewing, but he soon came to understand that what was happening was far deeper than that. He says learners would turn up to class with beautiful fabrics they had owned for years but thought they were too good for them to use. Before any cuts were made or stitches sewn Ron says there was a great deal of unpicking to do to connect them with their ancestors and dissolve their doubt.
Ron’s quilts take about three months to create and he understands that because of that time commitment he cannot be frivolous with his stories. “Each story must count. I take the time to make sure that the story I tell through my quilts is worth telling,” he says.
“My quilts are a celebration: they are a joyful expression of Māori people on their best, most fantastic day ever. I live in a space of gratitude and quilt making positions me in a space where everything is very beautiful. It connects me to my ancestors, much like more traditional weaving, waiata and carving. Quilting is my way of connecting to Māori art forms. Each of these artistic expressions inform each other and being Māori gives me the permission to attach quilting with no limits.”
Ron has recently completed a Rita Angus residency. The residency programme offers contemporary art practitioners the opportunity to develop a project while working in Pōneke Wellington at the historic Rita Angus cottage and studio, in partnership with the Rita Angus Cottage Trust. Artists are selected based on their artistic accomplishment and an assessment of how the residency will impact their arts practice.
Ron became intrigued with Rita Angus after viewing her self-portrait Rutu, where she painted herself with dark skin.
“I participated in a panel discussion where this decision was attacked, and I was confused by that, as all I saw was a work of beauty. I wanted to explore the politics of beautiful skin.
“I had been in Norway both exhibiting my work and as a recipient of the Søndre International Textile Art residency, which meant staying at a chalet overlooking the fjords at Søndre Green farm, in the municipality of Krødsherad. Along with working with Sami artists, amazing scenery, and learning about a different culture, I was also adopted by the local school. I loved my time there. During that time, everything I thought I knew about skin colour was reversed, and the time at the Rita Angus residency gave me space to process that learning, alongside the Rita Angus painting with a compassionate view from a Māori artist.”
As for the future, Ron says he has a long list of things he wants to explore and relies on his favourite expression – the best is yet to come.
“My body will be different. I can no longer work at the pace that I used to but I know I still have work to do. I want to write a book, travel and take up sculpture. My learning journey still continues and I look forward to the outcomes.”
Ron’s exhibition of quilts completed during his residency can be seen at Te Manawa, Palmerston North, from March 21 to July 21, 2024.
Ron was a member of the creative panel at this year’s ACE Sector Conference and also presented a workshop.