Maori Art Meets America
Media Release 1 August 2005
Maori people of Aotearoa New Zealand are taking their traditional and contemporary indigenous art to America. Over fifty senior Maori artists and dignitaries will travel to San Francisco for this premier event from the 4th , 14th August (USA dates). NZ dates: 5th , 15th August.
A dynamic combination of elements will give the people of San Francisco a real, interactive understanding of Maori as a culture. Through viewing many art forms, including ceremonies, Kapa haka performances, and interactive exhibitions, visitors will gain a unique experience of New Zealand's indigenous people.
The journey will begin with a waka (traditional Maori canoe) ceremony, the waka 'Te Ika a Maui' carrying a paddling crew of 'warriors' in full traditional regalia into the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
Maori people will be welcomed by the Ohlone Native American tribe, marking an unprecedented cultural exchange between the two indigenous peoples from opposite ends of the Pacific. An intricately crafted cloak 'Aramoana' - symbolising the strong vibrant relationships between the citizens of San Francisco and Maori of New Zealand - will journey by waka and will be presented by Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, The Maori Queen, to the city of San Francisco.
"Twenty years ago the exhibition 'Te Maori' revealed to American audiences the heartbeat of our country's indigenous people", says General Manager of Toi Maori Aotearoa, Garry Nicholas. "In August the rhythmic beat of the canoe paddles and the pulsating stamp of bare feet in the haka will recapture that ancestral spirit and energy. Alongside the exhibition of ancient and modern weaving and other art works made with materials from Papatuanuku (Mother Earth), the land and its forest will resonate a living culture from across the Pacific".
The opening of the exhibition 'Toi Maori: Art from the Maori people of New Zealand' will follow, bringing precious taonga (treasures) never before seen in America with their creators, the artists, who will demonstrate techniques in weaving, carving and ta moko (Maori tattoo) handed down from their tupuna (ancestors). The journey is in the spirit of cultural understanding, which involves meeting together and weaving relationships, symbolised in the exhibition 'Eternal Thread , Te Aho Mutunga Kore,' a collection of intricately woven kakahu (cloaks).
Other components include collections of contemporary ceramics, body adornments and carvings. Many of the featured artists blend traditional and modern techniques and materials, employing innovative ways to carry on ancient themes. Works reflect the experiences, ideas and issues that are important to the artists and their communities today.
Displaying these taonga (treasures) will be the creators of the art works: some of New Zealand's most celebrated weavers, ta moko and contemporary artists.
"The 'Maori Art Meets America' event is important because it celebrates the creative achievement of Maori people today in one of the great art cities of the world", explains event creative director Darcy Nicholas.
Travelling with the exhibition, the weavers will host demonstrations on site in San Francisco, before venturing up the West Coast for additional exhibitions in Salem City, Oregon and Seattle.
This event is a joint venture between Toi Maori Aotearoa , Maori Arts New Zealand, and Tourism New Zealand, with support from Air New Zealand.
Toi Maori Aotearoa is an organisation which supports and empowers artists working in their own communities to share and celebrate expressions of themselves and their culture , their art works - with the world. In taking Maori art to America we are preserving what is precious to us as New Zealanders, and widening the appreciation for these art forms all over the world.
The exhibition 'Toi Maori: Art from the Maori people of New Zealand' symbolises a thread that reaches out to other cultures and connects with the indigenous peoples of the world. It is through art that people can make connections and enrich each other with the knowledge that comes from their experience and history.
Links
Maori Art Meets America on Tourism New Zealand website
Tourism New Zealand Press Release 3 August 2005
For more information contact:
Jodi Mitchell
Publicity, 'Maori Art Meets America'
Toi Maori Aotearoa , Maori Arts New Zealand
(04) 801 7914
(021) 477 340
jodi@maoriart.org.nz