"The weather outside was cold, wet, and dreary — but inside Karori Arts & Crafts it was warm, colourful, and brimming with creativity."

That's how we described our 2025 Open Day, and it captures what Open Day is really about.

Last year, visitors explored calligraphy, Gelli plate printing, bookmaking, weaving, spinning, quilting, knitting, watercolour painting, Tetra Pak printing, and foliage arranging. There was something genuinely engaging at every table. One young visitor and her mother spent most of the afternoon lost in calligraphy exercises. Others went home with tiny handmade treasure books, printed artworks, and winter foliage arrangements they had made themselves.

The walls were hung with quilts from the Tuesday Quilters and artworks from the Joyce Heal Memorial Exhibition. The feedback from visitors was overwhelmingly positive. People were consistently surprised by the variety and quality of what KACC has to offer.

Come and see for yourself this year. We think you'll be surprised too.

Families arrived straight from school, children eager to try every activity, and in many cases try them again, and again.

Across the Main Room and Garden Room, visitors explored spinning, calligraphy, Gelli plate printing, quilting, Trapunto, paper craft, watercolour painting, and printmaking. The Garden Group had visitors planting kowhai seeds in egg carton cups to take home. The Antiques & Heirlooms Group ran a "School Days" activity where young visitors wrote on slate boards and leafed through early readers.

One moment said it all — a tall older gentleman walked out carrying two kowhai planters close to his chest, the biggest grin on his face. No words were exchanged, but his happiness was contagious. When we invite the community in, the joy our members have about their creativity and special interests spreads exponentially.

That's Open Day at KACC.

A wet and windy day did not stop visitors from coming through the doors of Karori Arts & Crafts for our Matariki Open Day...and once inside, they found something worth the trip.

Beautiful bunting made by the Wednesday Craft Group announced that something special was happening inside the Centre. Across the Main Room, Garden Room, and upstairs, visitors tried calligraphy with quills and fountain pens, slow-stitching embroidery, card making, Gelli plate printing, lino block printing, Tetra Pak printing, watercolour painting, and a deeply moving activity where dishes of sand were decorated with leaves, flowers, and a central candle in remembrance of loved ones.

A slideshow of member artworks played on the TV. Matariki inspired paintings lined the walls. A stunning collection of quilts from five different sewing groups formed a colourful backdrop to demonstrations of hand quilting and machine sewing. The Antiques Group arranged a stately display of members' family photographs honouring ancestors.

Upstairs, children pulled brilliant colours across paper with plastic cards and went home with something bright and beautiful they had made themselves.

Warm, welcoming, and genuinely community, that's Open Day at KACC.