• Tapatai Driftwood Art

Driftwood Sculpting Workshops & Team Building Workshops

1-3 day sculpting workshops & team building workshops are available for any size group. Perfect for community arts groups, coffee groups, corporate teams.

Our sculpting workshops can be customised to suit any group or team interested in creating their own pieces of driftwood art or driftwood furniture, or bonding as a team to create a statement piece.

Sculpting workshop

Two examples of sculpting workshops we have run are…

1. Quarry Arts Centre, Whangarei

This sculpting workshop was open to adults wishing to create a driftwood sculpture or driftwood creation. Attendees were asked to collect driftwood, flotsam & jetsam, and pieces of wood from around the farm, garden and beach. Those who had them brought along a drill, saw and screws.

After initial introductions and a health & safety briefing, the students reviewed their collection of wood and decided on a creation to make.

They planned and laid out the pieces ready to fix together using various methods… screws, string, even flax.

We guided them through this process and encouraged them to use their imagination, with input from us to gently prod them in the right direction.

Next we helped them work out where to start fixing, to pre-drill the wood, and ensure the pieces fitted together nicely, supported each other, and that the finished item would stand up on its own.

Slowly the artworks came together and we ended up with a wonderful collection of finished pieces, including…

  • garden gate
  • crayfish
  • hat stand

2. Great Barrier Arts Community

We spent 3 glorious days on Great Barrier Island conducting another sculpting workshop. We had 8 keen students with cars loaded with driftwood and interesting pieces found around their properties.

After the safety briefing they were raring to go! Once they had worked out what their creation would be, it was a group trip back to the beach to find significant pieces.

The first afternoon was spent laying out the wood and working out how the pieces might fit together.

Sculpting workshop

Day 2 was another quick trip to the beach for more driftwood. Then, with careful sawing, bending, fixing and screwing, their driftwood creations slowly came together.

Day 3 was making sure every piece fit together nicely, and checking that the form and flow was aesthetically pleasing. The finished pieces included…

  • giant candelabra
  • bench seat
  • chair
  • giant weta

Sculpting workshop - giant candelabra Sculpting workshop - giant weta

The course was a huge success and were booked for another sculpting workshop with a youth group, which was equally successful.

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Corporate Team-Building Sculpting Workshops

From our corporate days, we know it’s really hard to find a good team-building event or course. We customise our sculpting workshop to suit any type of business.

Does your organisation have a lot of waste that can be recycled and made into a sculpture? Do you have plastic crates, bottles, car parts, tyres or pallets?

Talk to us and we will suggest a way to get your team together to create an amazing sculpture for your foyer or outside your premises, some furniture for your outdoor staff area, or a bold statement to get your company noticed.

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