Boosted Stories: Māpura Studios

Māpura’s successful Boosted campaign ran in July 2020, as the organisation called on their crowd for support after regular funding streams had dried up, due to (you guessed it!) COVID-19.

Instead of a physical party for their 20th birthday, Māpura celebrated with a socially-distanced crowdfunding success story. Shortly after, we had a chat to Ursula Valeli, the organisation’s community development manager, about the mahi that Māpura do, what their experience with Boosted was like and most importantly, whether art can be transformative.

Kia ora Ursula, Thank you for taking the time to have a quick chat! 
In one sentence, what do Māpura do?

Māpura impact the lives of people living with disability and diversity in a powerful way, using art therapy and creativity.

Tell us about Māpura Studios, when did the organisation begin?

We turned 20 in 2020! To celebrate, we compiled a book that showcases fifty of our artists, and contains various interviews and essays of our beginnings and what the journey has been like.

Can art be transformative?

Yes, definitely.  At Māpura, we are about the process, not the final product. It is the process of making art, expressing those emotions that are otherwise inaccessible: being heard, feeling valuable, connecting with others and feeling included. These can play a big part in transforming your inner life.  Art therapy allows people to express themselves in other ways – not verbal. It allows people to communicate in a way that suits them. We work with visual art/3D, digital, cartooning, movement/dance, music, singing, writing.
When you think about it, ‘transformative work’ is a pretty tall order, but it is actually what we do. It’s a real pleasure being part of something so genuinely impactful.

What are some of the biggest joys of working at Māpura?

Oh wow, sitting at my computer in the office overhearing the wonderful conversations the groups are having.  Someone will come out with some incredible statement about life itself, or their journey, and it’s like… ‘Wow! I wish I had captured that on video. Where’s the film-maker right now? The world needs to hear this!’. Like when one of our artists, Warwick, just pipes up with this beautiful on-point version of a Beatles song in the middle of class….and everyone just continues working. We are all just so used to each other.

I think one of the really interesting things I observe at the studio is the grace that everyone is required to give each other, in order to make it work. Staff and tutors are patient, we always try to listen and to hear. Sometimes you have pressing things to attend to, but you are required to stop and give your attention to someone and allow them the time it takes to express their thoughts at that moment. All the artists have to allow each other to be who they are, which can be confronting at times. You may find yourself amongst a group that doesn’t feel like ‘you’ but you continue on, because overall the experience is wonderful. Allowances have to be made to make the most of it.

Ultimately I love working somewhere where the values are right and just by existing, we are essentially advocating for the right things in life. It’s important, it matters, it’s worth the effort. I feel really privileged to love my job. It’s been over two years now and I’m still pinching myself daily, the buzz hasn’t worn off.

The organisation is very much centred around making the arts and creative practice accessible to all. Do you think there’s still an accessibility and inclusiveness gap in the arts in New Zealand? And are Māpura filling this gap?

Absolutely. We are sector leaders. What remains a real issue is funding, as almost no one who we work with is able to work to earn a living.  We can’t really charge our ‘customer’ for our ‘service’, yet we don’t receive any government funding. The accessibility gap is there, imagine you live with a disability, with limited income and there are lots of things you’d like to do in your week, but every time you move it costs you for transport. You end up having to pick and choose carefully how to spend your time.

The other challenge for us is that our bread and butter funding comes from trusts and other funding bodies. Many of these do not fund salaries and wages, yet that is by far the highest cost to what we do. Our community is high needs and staffing ratios (costs) reflect this. We don’t offer a short term or one off project that has wide appeal, so we can’t tick those boxes. The people we work with live like this and there are no quick fixes. Our work is ongoing because it’s essentially about enjoying your life, or changing your perspective so that you can enjoy your life more. Many of the people we are working with are living through the most challenging circumstances day after day, hour after hour. It’s a matter of living through it, and finding better health and well-being, not fixing it. And yes there is still definitely an accessibility and inclusiveness gap in Aotearoa, there is still a stigma in some areas around disability.

You recently ran a successful Boosted campaign for Māpura. How did you find the experience in comparison to other fundraising channels?

Liberating.

We didn’t have to tick boxes or squish what we do into a certain phrase that makes sense to a funder. Applying to trusts and funding bodies is what we mostly do, because we have to, and we hugely appreciate the opportunities.  However, there was also something refreshing about being able to receive funds, knowing that we will be able to allocate them where we need them.

What is something that you would pass on to other organisations that are thinking about funding through Boosted?

Take the time to read through all the advice that Boosted has on the website around running the campaign, it’s good stuff. Also, go for it!

Thank you so much for the chat, Ursula. We feel honoured to call Māpura a Boosted Alumni and look forward to seeing what the future has in store for the organisation.

Māpura Studios make impact on a daily basis as they actively provide space and support for creative growth in those that often need it the most.