connect[ed]

connect[ed] is a collaborative exhibition curated by ākonga (students) from Te Kura Whaiora ki te Tonga / Southern Health School, which supports students across Te Waipounamu unable to attend regular school due to illness. Over several months, the group worked with gallery staff to select artworks and develop personal responses—ranging from traditional labels to more intuitive creative reflections.

At the heart of connect[ed] is ako—the Māori principle of reciprocal teaching and learning. This approach reminds us that everyone—even newcomers—brings a valid perspective, and that by sharing our ideas openly, we can learn from one another. It reflects the students’ curatorial journey, where each participant stepped into the role of both learner and teacher. Through this shared process, each participant found meaningful ways to express themselves, connect with others, and contribute to a wider conversation through art.

As the project unfolded, I was reminded of how much there is to learn when we listen closely. The group offered new ways of seeing—revealing how absence can be full of meaning, how imagination can unlock unfamiliar places, and how art can provide safety, identity, clarity, or even a quiet kind of healing. One student selected Samuel Fisher’s The thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts, a painting that beautifully captures the sense of introspection and quiet depth that ran through the whole project.

connect[ed] is more than an exhibition. It’s a living example of what happens when young people are trusted with creative agency, and when museums prioritise relationship, reflection, and belonging. In a time when opportunities for artmaking are shrinking in mainstream education, projects like this remind us of the vital role cultural institutions can play in supporting youth creativity, learning, and wellbeing.

To learn more about the Southern Health School, visit https://www.southernhealth.school.nz/
To be part of the conversation, come and see the show. connect[ed] runs until 23 November 2025.

Noho ora mai
Jen Boland
Technical Specialist
Dunedin Public Art Gallery

[image: SAMUEL FISHER The thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts. Late 19th Century. Oil on canvas. Collection Dunedin Public Art Gallery.]