Who Are We?
We are everyday people just like you.
Mothers, grandmothers, daughters, partners, advocates, students, managers, cleaners, artists, and so much more. In Palmerston North we identify as Māori, Pakeha, and Pasifika.
We have been through it all – sometimes we are still making our way out, but are safe for now with Women’s Refuge, sometimes we have been out for many, many years.
We have been kidnapped, abused, raped, beaten, coerced, and violated physically, culturally, psychologically, financially, and spiritually. We have been held at gunpoint, isolated, controlled, hurt, threatened, and humiliated. Our children and our pets have been used as weapons of control against us.
We have taken the terrifying step of leaving. Throughout this process much has been taken from us. We have been seen and responded to in ways that hurt our mana, and do not reflect what is in our hearts. We have been told to ‘move on’, ‘get over it’ and ‘let it go’ but our silence is dangerous when other women continue to experience violence. We grieve for our sense of safety, and the loss of our dreams, connections, hopes, and aspirations. We fight for our children, our identity, our autonomy, and for other women. We have resisted violence and upheld our dignity in every way possible, and we continue to resist the stereotypical beliefs around who we must be as ‘vulnerable victims’ or ‘brave survivors’ of this violence. We are diverse, multi-dimensional, and complicated, like anyone else.
We are uniquely individual and we are also a collective. We are WAI.
Where we began
WAI began as a direct response to my own experiences of violence, and to my ongoing discomfort around how wāhine are seen and represented because of these experiences.
In 2012 I held my postgraduate exhibition - a series of twelve large paintings that offered me the opportunity to self-represent my identity and these experiences in my own way. The positive social responses that I received, and the space that the works opened for others to share their own narratives of violence was powerful. If this approach gave me a voice then I felt it might for other wāhine also. I approached Palmerston North Women’s Refuge to see if they were keen to walk alongside an art group for women who had experienced violence…and with a great deal of trust, goodwill, tautoko, and aroha the WAI seed was planted.
The WAI kaupapa and initiative were developed through my Master of Māori Visual Arts degree, supervised by Ngataiharuru Taepa, Kaihautu Toi Māori - Director of Māori Arts, and Professor of Māori Visual Arts Robert Jahnke, ONZM, Te Pūtahi-a-Toi, College of Creative Arts, Massey University. The WAI research continued as part of my PhD, again supervised by Professor Robert Jahnke, and Associate Professor Margaret Forster. The WAI Spirographic Model of Practice grew out of my PhD research, alongside a body of nine stained and cast glass works. The WAI model collates the wisdom of many, many hours of kōrero within our collective. The collective has to date offered space to over 80 wāhine, in both the Manawatū and Marlborough regions.
When I founded WAI in 2013 I could never have imagined the rich community and powerful wāhine that I would bring into my life. WAI began as my idea but it has grown into an authentic, collectively owned space that has been invested into by many organisations and individuals, and now also has three other amazing facilitators. WAI is far bigger and more beautiful than anything I could ever have envisioned all those years ago, and I am immensely grateful to everyone who believes in and supports us.
We welcome your interest in our collective.
In the spirit of WAI
Karen Seccombe
WAI founder and facilitator
Listen for more
The Arts Access Podcast hosted by Sam Morgan featured Karen Seccombe, the founder of WAI. They talked about Creative Resistance: the Women’s Art Initiative. Have a listen to learn more.