Bridy Rihari-Lundon (Ngāpuhi, Waikato Tainui) is adamant studying Māori visual art is one of the best decisions she has ever made.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts degree from the Tairāwhiti campus of EIT Te Pūkenga on Friday. Rihari-Lundon was this year’s valedictorian - the top student chosen to represent her graduating class and EIT’s Toihoukura School of Māori Visual Arts at the graduation ceremony at Gisborne’s War Memorial Theatre.
At first, Rihari-Lundon says she didn’t realise the significance of being named valedictorian but is pleased now that she was.
“Now that I understand, I am actually quite honoured to stand to speak and to represent not only just EIT and Toihoukura, but my friends and the whole campus.”
Rihari-Lundon is on to her Masters now, which she is doing long distance from Hamilton, where she is working full-time at the local kura, Tōku Māpihi Maurea.
“I’m a painter so I mostly just paint. I do draw sometimes, but this year I’m trying to actually interpret and incorporate a couple of other elements. I’m trying to spread out and dive into other mediums and become a quite diverse, multi-medium artist. I’m looking at going into a bit of bone and stone carving in the future and doing tā moko.”
She is enjoying her life as a teacher. The aim is to eventually study for her teaching degree.
“I suppose because my purpose for now and probably for my future is to give back, and that’s what I’m trying to do. So, it really makes me happy knowing that I can share my skills and my knowledge and pass it down, so it carries on the art form and the teachings.”
Rihari-Lundon loved her time at EIT Te Pūkenga and has grown as an artist.
“I’d say it’s been the most beautiful journey and probably one of the best decisions I’ve made, and I’m so glad that I went there. I wasn’t sure that was the right place for me, but after a year I knew that I was meant to be there, so it really helped me a lot,” she says.
“One thing that taught me, about myself, I think - despite the long distance, living away from home, I had to find the beauty in this town, in Gisborne, and one was connecting to the land and sea. And second, was allowing myself to open up and feel the warmth of the people.”
Last year, Rihari-Lundon received the Ruanuku Award, which is awarded to the top all-round student at Toihoukura. As part of the award, two pieces of her work were purchased for the Tairāwhiti Museum’s permanent Māori arts collection.
“Bridy is a great role model for young Māori Wāhine, she exemplifies the value of Mātauranga Māori and Toi Māori,” says Tracey Tangihaere, the Tairāwhiti campus executive director and Toihoukura acting head.
Tangihaere says Toihoukura tutors are “very proud” of all their graduates and predicts that Rihari-Lundon will be a future “rising star”.
“...Bridy has been a great ambassador across the country and in Canada creative sectors, I am sure she will be successful in her chosen career. We expect to [see] her as a rising star in the Toi Māori skyline,” she says.