Media Release
September 2009

NorthTec graduate Bethany Edmunds (Ngati Kuri) is this year’s recipient of the Kate Sheppard Memorial Award.

Bethany completed at Bachelor of Applied Arts at NorthTec in 2000. She specialised in personal adornment, wearable art and fibre design.

31-year old Bethany will use the $2,500 award to complete her Masters of Art Visual Culture: Costume Studies at New York University.  As part of her study for her Masters degree Bethany has already completed two courses within New York University’s Museum Studies Department.

During the American summer the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC accepted Bethany for a prestigious internship where she worked in the Cultural Liaison department helping to develop international relations and community consultation projects throughout North America. 

Bethany describes herself as an artist, a costume designer, and a teacher.   She has been trained from a young age in the traditional raranga (weaving) practices, including fibre manufacture, weaving and dyeing.

Since graduating from NorthTec, Bethany has been creating two-dimensional and sculptural fibre and textile-based works.
Chairperson of the Christchurch-based Kate Sheppard Memorial Trust Karena Brown said that Bethany had been described as “dedicated and meticulous”.

Bethany says that she has a strong focus on the enhancement of taitamariki, young people, through the use of the arts, and ensuring that ‘nga taonga tuku iho’, the skills passed down from our ancestors, are retained for future generations. 

“Bethany’s work for her final exhibition and dissertation at NorthTec was responding to a relationship she formed with local kuia (elders) in the traditions and skills of weaving,” said NorthTec Programme Manager – Arts, Chris Carey. “At the time she had a strong commitment to ensuring these skills were carried on and pursued this throughout her studies at NorthTec.

“We are delighted for Bethany that her work and her potential have been recognised in the form of this prestigious national award.”