We decided we needed a bit of a behind the scenes look at The Poi Room and figured there was no better place to start than with our Creative Director Melanie- Jane.
No two days are the same for anyone at The Poi Room and this is especially the case for MJ with everyday been so different, whether its working in one of our galleries for the day while communicating with our wonderful artists or based out of our home office working on things behind the scenes that make our galleries tick and run day to day.
Heres is what a Wednesday in November looked like when we decided to follow MJ on her day and see how varied her role and days are!
Today MJ started in the home office that The Poi Room runs out of with a long black coffee her Paul Maseyk bunny cup. A great chance to upload images onto The Poi Room website and follow up on her emails.
A quick breather and a play with Ziggy the Irish Terrier!
Then onto sorting through beautiful new taonga from the fabulous carver Dean Marjoribanks.
Off to Newmarket:
Oopsy- Coffee number 2 was much needed today and of course all brought for the wonderful staff too. "Caring and sharing with staff to show how much we value them and their work."
Onto some transferring stock to our Ponsonby gallery and general admin in the gallery while chatting with artists on the phone.
Kirsty Nixon pops in with a fresh selection of prints for Christmas. Which was a breath of fresh air and just adds to the variety of the day.
New beautiful weaving from Karl Leonard and delicious glass jet planes from Simon Lewis-Wards arrived in the gallery where MJ sorts through and arranges on the gallery floor.
Filling the bowl for our furry friends. A bit of housekeeping and fun!
Next it's to Ponsonby:
Chatting with the locals... Everyone knows everyone around here! and met a new potential artist.
A wee bit of merchandising in the gallery. "Nothing like a change around! It really is as good as a holiday."
Selling to a lovely customer in store and chatting to them about The Poi Room and our artists. Then it was onto a bit of Poi gift wrapping so the artwork gets home and to the new owner safely.
Catching up with wonderful Megan who keeps the Ponsonby running day to day.
Theres no typical day in the life for Melanie-Jane as everyday is so different but this was just a wee insight into her life this particular Wednesday where she's juggling multiple hats as business owner.
Keep an eye out for our next instalment in this series as we chat to someone else who helps make The Poi Room tick.