Page 265 - Constructing Craft

his commercial history as a bone carver and businessman and his contribution to

the Māori community as an employer. He stated that he made ‘no apology for the
fact that what I do is completely market orientated and because of the employment

opportunities I have created for young Maoris I am well supported by a wide cross
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section of the South Island Maori Community.’ He continued that it was necessary
‘to produce a type of carving which is thoroughly traditional and acceptable to the
Māori Community and which can be produced economically in sufficient saleable

quantities by people with varying degrees of skill’ and added, ‘I do not, as some do,

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sneer at the “$50 Fish hook”.’ Pointing out that he had paid his subscription to the
CCNZ for a number of years he implied that, as a member, he had a right to sell his

work through the gallery without judgements being made about it. But, by 1988 the

CCNZ was changing the way it represented craftspeople, placing more emphasis
on avant-garde craftwork, and this may have resulted in some of Timing’s work

being rejected and returned to him. Timings was confused and angry: ‘as a fairly
longstanding payer of subscriptions to the council’, adding: ‘I had some delusion

that you people would see the point to the exercise and that you would serve both
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me and the other bone carvers in this area in some way.’ He was disturbed that
the CCNZ had twice rejected carvings which he knew had proven market appeal in

Christchurch and the lower part of the South Island. Timings pointed out he had far
more experience in his field than they did and believed that the CCNZ should

recognise his skills and experience.

The dispute between Timings and the CCNZ may have been one amongst many,
including Pākehā, but it highlights the challenge for Māori craftspeople. On the one

hand, they needed to base their work on traditional designs to ensure its cultural

integrity and meet the expectations of their customers, but on the other their most
commercially successful craft did not fit the new CCNZ profile that demanded more

innovative ‘art-like’ work. Carvers like Timing found they could comfortably make a

living from their work but in doing so they found themselves locked out of the new
craft environment that was moving closer to the world of contemporary art.

Constructing Craft