In Memoriam

Epeli Hau'ofa, one of the Pacific's  most influential leaders in the academic and creative arena,  passed away in Suva, Fiji, on 11 January 2009, after a long illness.  Professor, mentor, poet, comic writer, scholar, storyteller, and friend to many people in the Pacific region and the Pacific studies international community of scholars and students, Hau'ofa's memory lives on, particularly in his tragicomic sketches of Pacific Islands life in Tales of the Tikongs and his brilliant satire of a Pacific Islands community wrestling with the absurdities of traditional and modern life in Kisses in the Nederends. In the academic world of area studies, Epeli's hugely influential essay "Our Sea of Islands" has single-handedly changed the course of Pacific studies.  read more »

Leading Authority on Tribal Arts, Philip John Crosskey Dark (1918-2008), professor emeritus of Anthropology at Southern Illinois University, a leading authority on tribal arts, particularly of Benin and the Pacific, as well as a pivotal figure of the PAA, passed away on April 4th in Cornwall.
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It is with great sadness that we inform our members of the untimely and sudden death of Jordan Wright, publisher of the Pacific Arts Association Journal.  Beginning in 2006, Jordan revived our publication and with his staff helped us produce seven issues. His enthusiasm and commitment to the Pacific Arts Association was intertwined with his love for the arts and cultures of Oceania.  We deeply mourn his passing and send our condolences to his family.

Wright was born in Brooklyn on Feb. 26, 1958. Son of artist Faith-dorian and Martin Wright, important collectors of tribal arts, he became an energetic art collector himself. His passion for Oceanic art was reflected in his trip to New Guinea to take photographs that were then exhibited in several museums.  read more »