Number 19, Winter 2005
THE PACIFIC ARTS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
Number 19, Winter 2005
PAA’s VIII International Symposium at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM), Salem, Massachusetts in July 2005 brought over 126 attendees from 12 countries and Pacific Islands. PEM, with its historic and contemporary collections from around the globe was a fitting venue for the tours, sessions, performances and a special exhibition focusing on the theme of Pacific Diasporas: People, Ideas and Art on the Move.
Generous funding from institutions, businesses and private individuals enabled 10 artists to attend and 15 Marquesan dancers to perform ensuring an atmosphere full of creative spirit. The program, numerous receptions and all aspects of the symposium were made possible by generous sponsors, and enriched by members and volunteers who worked to make the gathering a success. We especially thank the generosity of major donors to the Symposium: Air Tahiti Nui, Aranui 3/CPTM, Mark and Carolyn Blackburn, John and Marcia Friede, Mana Foundation, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Museum of Natural History, Providence, RI. New Bedford Whaling Museum/ Kendall Whaling Institute, Norman Hurst/ Hurst Gallery, Peabody Essex Museum, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Tahiti Tourisme, William Teel, Tribal: the magazine of Tribal Art, Margaret Tuckson, Washington State University, and A Friend. Funding was provided in part by the Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations (ECHO) Act, administered by the United States Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement. We also thank those individuals who made donations to PAA to cover the costs of the Symposium, Lissant Bolton, Lisa Burke, Kevin Conru, Eric Fortess, John Friede, Christraud Geary, Beverly Haun, Christina Hellmich, Carol Ivory, Adrienne Kaeppler, Caroline Klarr, Christian Kaufmann, Patricia Maher, Marion Melk-Koch, Kat Mueller, Martine Roblin-Neveu, Hilary Scothorn, Margaret Tuckson, Jennifer Wagelie, and Susan Kennedy Zeller.
Pre-conference tours were attended by over 80 people highlighting the rich Oceanic collections of New England’s institutions including: Harvard’s Peabody Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Natural History Museum of Providence, Rhode Island and the Stephen Phillips House of Salem. Symposium attendees were welcomed on the opening day by Noelani Arista, Lehua Yim, Tobias Vanderhoop, Keone Nunes, Lynda Hartigan, Christina Hellmich and Carol Ivory who represented PEM, PAA and PEM’s local Native Pacific Island and Native American constituencies. Keynote speaker Roger Neich provided a fascinating look at collections over time and space. His address, “Collections Across the Divide,” focused on the collections of James Edge-Partington and William Oldman and how they have been researched and interpreted since their inception. Superb performances by Rosanna Raymond and the Mahina Movement followed by an artists' panel provided a rich exchange of ideas in advance of the thirteen sessions of papers that began on the following day. Over fifty papers were presented at sessions examining collecting, photography, objects, style, pattern, meaning, western views, contemporary art, artists, past scholars, writers, exhibitions, collections, the art market, body, gender, video, film and tapa. A volume of the papers will be edited by Robert Welsch and Christina Hellmich.
PAA welcomed Te Pua O Feani dance troupe from the Marquesas Island who provided two exciting and impressive performances enjoyed by all. An exhibition of contemporary paintings, works of art on paper and sculpture, (Re)settled/(Re)viewed: Recent Expressions of Pacific Identity, was on view during the symposium. The exhibition was curated by Hilary Scothorn and included works by Bernice Akamine, Jewel Castro, Sarah Dutt, Richard Shortland Cooper, John Ioane, Shigeyuki Kihara, Kapulani Landgraf, Fono McCarthy, Dan Taulapapa McMullin, Chris Mules, Vaimoana Niumeitolu, Ani O’Neill, Carl Pao, Rosanna Raymond, Mahiriki Tangaroa, Filipe Tohi and Sheyne Tuffery. Many of the artists and authors in attendance participated in a lively book signing and artist expo/market where books and works of art could be purchased. On the final evening, a banquet in the historic East India Marine Hall at PEM closed the symposium. The Manu Daula (Frigate Bird) award was bestowed on Roger Neich. It is awarded by the PAA membership to an individual for outstanding achievement in and dedication to the arts of the Pacific.
PAA Officers 2005-2007
A general election was held at the symposium in Salem. The membership elected the following officers of PAA who will serve until the next election at the symposium in Paris 2007. Their contact information is on the PAA website at www.pacificarts.org . Carol Ivory, President; Roger Neich, Vice President, Pacific; Philippe Peltier, Vice President, Europe; Christina Hellmich, Vice President, North America; Dorit Shafir, Secretary; Hilary Scothorn, Treasurer; Virginia-Lee Webb, Newsletter Editor
Pacific Arts Association-Europe
PAA-E Annual Meeting- Cambridge and Norwich
Thursday 11 May – Saturday 13 May 2006
The 2006 annual meeting of PAA-Europe will be a joint meeting in Cambridge and Norwich, hosted by the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (CUMAA) and the Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, University of East Anglia (SRU). Those attending will be able to view two new exhibitions: Pasifika Styles at CUMAA (opening 5 May 2006) and Pacific Encounters: Art and Divinity in Polynesia 1760-1860 at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich (opening 21 May 2006, but PAA-E will have a special preview). Information on the two exhibitions is attached.
Also attached is a provisional timetable of events and a call for papers. Anyone wishing to deliver a paper or make a report is requested to complete the form and send an abstract to the organizers by 15 February 2006. There is no specific theme to the conference, but papers/reports dealing with contemporary arts and/or with Polynesian arts, reflecting the themes of the two exhibitions, will be welcomed.
Information about accommodation in Cambridge (Norwich will be a day trip) will be forwarded to all members shortly, and will be posted on the PAA website. We anticipate that some reduced rates will be possible for PAA-E attendees.
The conference fee will be £30 sterling, with a reduced rate of £20 for students/concessions (both fees include a £10 fee for those traveling to Norwich, to contribute to costs of travel, lunch, tea/coffee). We intend that there will be a conference dinner in Cambridge college- further details will be provided shortly. If you have any questions about the programme or any other aspect of the conference, please contact Julia Martin in Norwich: j.martin@uea.ac.uk or +44 (0) 1603 592880
Provisional Programme, Thursday 11 May 2006
Venue: CUMAA, Downing Street, Cambridge
From 11.00 Registration (Conference fee £30 sterling); Pasifika Styles and CUMAA galleries open
12.00–12.30 Tour of Pasifika Styles exhibition: Amiria Henare/Rosanna Raymond
13.00-13.30 Tour of Pasifika Styles exhibition: Amiria Henare/Rosanna Raymond
14.00-16.0 Meet the Artists/ Afternoon tea/ Informal Art Fair
17.30 Keynote address
18.45 Reception at CUMAA/ Performances
19.45 Individual arrangements
Friday 12 May 2006
Venue: CUMAA, Downing Street, Cambridge
09.00 Registration
09.15 Session 1. Papers
10.45 Tea/Coffee
11.15 Session 2. Papers
12.45 Lunch (individual choice)
14.00 Session 3. Artists’ forum
15.30 Tea/Coffee
16.00 Annual General Meeting of PAA-E
17.15 Close
19.30 Conference Dinner [location to be announced]
Saturday 13 May 2006
Venue: Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich
09.00 Coach departs for Norwich from Cambridge
10.15 Arrival at Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich. Tea/Coffee
10.45 Welcome and preview of exhibition Pacific Encounters: Art and Divinity in Polynesia 1760-1860.
13.00 Lunch (buffet provided)
14.00 Session 4. Papers
15.30 Tea/Coffee
16.00 Session 5. Papers
17.30 Close. End of PAA-E meeting
18.00 Coach departs for return for Cambridge
19.15 Arrival in Cambridge
Call for Papers
There will be an opportunity for delegates to present papers or reports. Please note that papers should last no longer than 20 minutes , to allow 10 minutes for discussion and hand-over (total time 30 minutes). Reports should last no longer than 10 minutes. There is no specific theme to the conference, but papers/reports dealing with contemporary arts and/or with Polynesian arts, reflecting the themes of the two exhibitions, are welcome. There will be an opportunity to make sure announcements at the AGM. Those who would like to present a paper or report are kindly requested to submit an abstract (200 words max. for a paper, 50 words max. for a report) by 15 February 2006. Please send abstracts with a copy of this form to Julia Martin, Sainsbury Research Unit, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, or by email: j.martin@uea.ac.uk
College Art Association/PAA
Please join us at the CAA Annual Conference, Boston, Massachusetts. The PAA meetings will take place on Saturday, February 26, 2006. The business meeting is 7:30am-9am, and the PAA session is 12:30-2pm. More information about the session to follow.
You are invited to submit a proposal for the PAA session at the College Art Association Annual Conference 2007, New York City February 14-17, 2007. As an affiliated society, PAA is entitled to a session. Please send Christina Hellmich (chellmich@famsf.org) by April 15, 2006 a short paragraph outlining the session theme, chairperson (limit to 2), and 3-4 possible speakers. The PAA Executive Committee will review the proposals by May 15, 2006, then notify the session chairs and panelists. We look forward to your participation. For information about CAA and the 2006 and 2007 conferences go to their website www.collegeart.org
PAA Newsletter
This will be the last regular print edition of the PAA Newsletter. At the Salem Symposium, the membership approved the Executive Committee’s recommendation that PAA use the website to deliver the most up-to-date news about our events. Those members who still need to receive the Newsletter by mail, please indicate this when you renew your membership. We are currently developing alternative ways to deliver current and past issues of the PAA Newsletter via the internet and our website, www.pacificarts.org. We would like to thank Connie Ekmeciyan in Office Services, The Metropolitan Museum of Art for her wonderful work and assistance producing the PAA Newsletter.
PACIFIC ARTS
Major changes are in the works for Pacific Arts, the journal of PAA. We are in a transition period during which complicated questions requiring careful thought are being thoroughly investigated. Look for further announcements in the very near future, along with the appearance of delayed volumes throughout the year.