Furniture, art and exhibition making with Carin Wilson and Justine Olsen

Justine Olsen leads a discussion exploring furniture in exhibition contexts—key moments, shifts and impacts—including kōrero around Artiture, Framed and Carin's exhibition at Te Uru. Together, Carin Wilson and Justine Olsen reflect on the relationship between furniture, art and exhibition making, drawing on their shared history of groundbreaking curatorial practice since the 1980s.

Carin Wilson (Mātaatua, Ngāti Awa, Tūhourangi) is a pioneering furniture maker and design advocate who began his practice in Christchurch in the 1970s. He has been pivotal in advocating for Māori participation in design and urban development, founded Studio Pasifika, and held leadership roles including founding chair of Ngā Aho: Network of Māori Design Professionals and president of the Crafts Council of New Zealand.

Justine Olsen is Curator of Decorative Art at Te Papa Tongarewa since 2009, and was previously Curator of Applied Art at Auckland Museum, where she and Wilson pioneered exhibition-based approaches to understanding contemporary furniture design.