Location: Leith Place centre median

Materials: Various, Set of 3 placards, double sided.

Created: 2007

Artist: Darren Keith

Definition of Name:
Business – “A person’s regular occupation, profession, or trade, an activity that someone is engaged in”.
Professional – “A person engaged or qualified in a profession”.
Woman’s Pole – “A pole/sculpture erected to represent woman in a certain way, shape or form”.

Interpretation of Definition:
A pole/sculpture erected to represent woman’s strength, determination and value, that she adds both to herself and her community through actively engaging in an activity or profession.

Meaning of the Sculpture / Carving:
This work was commissioned by the Tokoroa Business and Professional Women’s group, to represent the women of our community in both business and activity, who by being a part of the community provide a different dynamic to traditional male dominated businesses.
Women are born marketers. Passion and enthusiasm are part and parcel of women’s seemingly instinctive ability to emphasize the benefits of their services to their potential customers. Women truly understand how to emphasize the positive. As seen this sculpture represents local women, their strength, knowledge and wisdom in all aspects of themselves and the huge part they play in the community.

Materials:
The ceramic that was used in this sculpture/piece of artwork was created via clay being hardened repeatedly by the process of heat and cooling transforming it into ceramic. This process took a considerable amount of time to ensure both durability and quality.

Artist Notes:
Darren Keith is a popular practising artist, with many pieces of his work being displayed in galleries, businesses, and homes both here in New Zealand and abroad. Darren is a dynamic artist who creates many types and styles of work in varying media and techniques including drawing, painting, and sculptural ceramics.
Darren was formally educated at Rotorua Polytech in Art and Design. Darren was the winner of the prestigious “Waikato Gas Ceramic Awards” in 1996 while still a student. Darren has always been a derivative type of artist. When he was young, he taught himself how to draw through the study of comic books and so artistic expression has always been there for him. In dreams he said he has imagined future pieces of work.
The way the human body moves has always fascinated Darren and more so how it moves within its environment. Actions, reactions by bodies, societies both culturally and spiritually all serve to inspire his works.