Māpura Studios

We offer inclusive, multi-modal art classes and art therapy programmes for people of all ages, diversity and need, as well as the wider community. These include visual art, music, singing, cartooning, dance, and art therapy programmes.

Our artists have intellectual disability, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, downs syndrome, deafness, visual impairment, aphasia, physical disability, stroke affect, anxiety, and depression. 

Our team of highly experienced and qualified art tutors and registered arts therapists are proffessional and passionate, making us one of New Zealand’s leading creative spaces. 

Māpura Studios is a special place – a fusion of the creative arts, therapeutic process, of caring and sharing, acceptance and inclusion, of celebration, fun and friendship, advocacy, and a vision of equality. Above all, it’s a place where you can come and be yourself.

At the studio, everyone is treated with respect, and their efforts are supported and valued. We tolerate each other, laugh with each other, and share with one another about what’s going on in our lives. This is a place to be understood and to feel at ease. It’s a place to express yourself creatively and have your talent nurtured. We see the impacts of what we do every day and know how much making art means to our artists. For many it is the highlight of their week, hands down. For others, belonging to our community spans over two decades. Yes you read that right!

Your contribution will go towards the following: 

• Wages for our incredible tutors and art therapists
• The amazing Māpura Band
• Free weekly sessions to continue in low decile communities
• ‘Re-stART’ our targeted stroke art therapy programme
• Keeping artist fees at an accessible highly-subsidised rate
• Art Materials (we need a range of materials to cater for all our incredible artists, for some, paint is easier to use. For others, pastels, clay, watercolour or sculpture is their preference. Some use a head-pointer to paint by moving their head, others, with their feet). 

Without the support of the community, organisations such as ours don’t exist.

It could change things dramatically for us if you get behind us. 

Boosted is All Or Nothing so, if we don't reach our target of $6,000 then we don't receive any of it.

This year we have experienced significant decline in funding.  For example, we have been extremely proud to deliver art therapy at Auckland Prison ('Paremoremo') for several years. Suddenly the contract has been cut. For three years our arts therapists and tutors shared their knowledge and our unique approach to special schools across Tāmaki Makaurau through the Ministry of Educations 'Creatives in Schools' programme. Now it is no more. 

We are looking for people who understand the value in what we do, and want to be part of the team that makes it happen. Could you be one of these people? How much could you donate to us? $5.00? A little more? It sounds small but the difference it would make is exponential. 

Please please please now is the time to do something really special, knowing you have made a real difference in the life of someone else. 

THE BENEFITS OF REGULAR GIVING: YOU CAN PROVIDE ONGOING SUPPORT. 

One of the biggest challenges all charities face is the unpredictability of their funding sources, which makes it difficult to plan and budget for programmes. However, regular giving provides a predictable source of income that can help hugely over the long term. By knowing how much funding we can expect to receive each month or year, we can make informed decisions about how to allocate our resources and which programmes to prioritise. This provides stability, allowing us to make long term commitments to our artists and invest in sustainable projects or exciting programmes that can build over time. 

YOU CAN HELP REDUCE FUNDRAISING COSTS. 

We receive no government funding and spend untold hours per month applying to individual trusts for grants. Regular giving will allow us to reduce our fundraising costs and we can rely on a predictable stream of income without needing to invest as much time and resources into fundraising activities. 

GAIN A GREATER SENSE OF CONNECTION, JOIN THE FAMILY. 

By giving regularly you can develop a deeper connection with our organisation and its beneficiaries. You can follow our progress and see the impact of your contributions over time. We believe you will find this a very rewarding experience. If you are interested to give a little to us on a regular basis pop over to our donate page on our website.

Donate to help us reach our target and give us a boost now.