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The Pacific Art Association Newsletter, Number 25, November 2009

THE PACIFIC ARTS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
Number 25, November 2009

Table of Contents
Message from the President
Review of the PAA Europe Annual Conference in Bonn
The Xth PAA International Symposium in Rarotonga
Forthcoming PAA Events and Conferences
International Exhibitions
Update on the Publication of Pacific Arts
New Publications
PAA Member News
PAA Membership Information
From the Editor

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
I am looking ahead to the PAA International Symposium which is going to be held in Rarotonga. Please find in this newsletter the symposium theme and sessions, so you can begin to marshal your thoughts toward contributing a paper. By now you will have received the latest issue of the Pacific Arts Journal. If you did not receive your copy, please email Treasurer Molly Huber (mhuber@artsmia.org). She will most likely tell you (as she told me) that you either need to update your mailing address or you need to bring your PAA subscription up to date (as I needed to). Membership information is at the end of the newsletter. We are in the final stages of establishing a more stable base for the Journal, and as soon as the final documents are signed we will let you know the good news! In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you in Rarotonga.
- Michael Gunn

PACIFIC ARTS ASSOCIATION – EUROPE
Review of the 2009 Annual Conference in Bonn
The annual meeting of the PACIFIC ARTS ASSOCIATION – EUROPE took place from 17-20 September 2009, in Bonn and St. Augustin, Germany Participants viewed the exhibition James Cook and the Discovery of the South Seas on view in Bonn at the Bundeskunsthalle and visited to the Museum Haus Voelker und Kulturen of the SVD congregation in St. Augustin and its important New Guinean collections. Papers at this PAA-E meeting focused on the theme of Historical Connections: the Legacies of Science and Collecting in the 18th Century.

Day 1 of the conference featured registration and free viewing of the James Cook exhibition, which allowed for an exchange of knowledge and ideas between PAA members. Aotearoa artist George Nuku explained Maori material on display to groups of children, who appeared equally fascinated by George’s tattoos.

On day 2, following a short tram trip from Bonn to St. Augustin, we were hosted by the Anthropos Institute which concerns itself with the study of ethnology and related sciences. In its main hall we were greeted by the beautiful Ewa sculptures on its walls. Director Prof. Dr. Joachim Piepke, SVD gave members an introductory talk, which was simultaneously and spontaneously translated by Marion Melk-Koch. (Thank you Marion!) Lunch was served in the monastery of the Society of the Divine Word around the corner from the museum which allowed for individual viewing of the Oceanic art collections housed on the premises. In the afternoon, a number of sessions followed, including one in honor of the late Philip Dark. The coffee break was highlighted by coffee from Papua New Guinea.

On day 3, the conference continued back in Bonn at the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany where we were welcomed by the Director of the museum Dr. Robert Fleck. The public was invited to join PAA members for the lecture Exhibiting the Pacific Yesterday and Today, by Adrienne Kaeppler, Curator of Oceanic Ethnology at the National Museum of Natural History/National Museum of Man, and Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Kaeppler was and one of the curatorial team for the James Cook and the Exploration of the Pacific exhibition. As part of her talk, we were treated to a performance of Hawaiian dances by Noenoe Zuttermeister and female members of her family.

Following a number of afternoon sessions, including an artist panel with Shigeyuki Kihara and George Nuku, and the General Assembly of the PAA- Europe, PAA members filled the Gasthaus Im Stiefel restaurant just a few doors from Beethoven's home for a communal dinner.

The final day of the conference concluded with another open session which permitted the general public to join PAA members to hear Steven Hooper, Director, Sainsbury Research Unit, University of East Anglia, U.K., speak on Objects of wonder – Wonderful objects: Gifts and exchange during Cook's voyages.

To see photos from this conference, please visit the PAA-Europe photo gallery.

PACIFIC ARTS ASSOCIATIONS XTH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
 Pacific Art in the 21st century: Museums, New Global Communities and Future Trends
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
August 9 – 11, 2010

The symposium taking place in Rarotonga August 9-11, 2010 seeks to highlight issues surrounding the creation, dispersal, possession, repatriation, stewardship and interpretation of Pacific art in the 21st century. It is timed to follow immediately on the Maeva Nui or Cook Islands Constitution Celebrations ending August 7th. The major annual cultural event of the Cook Islands, Maeva Nui festivities include dance, chant, and choir competitions and demonstrations of traditional arts. People from around the Cook Islands converge on Rarotonga to compete in these events and PAA Symposium participants are urged to arrive some days earlier in order to participate in these celebrations.

For more information visit the PAA Cook Islands Blog or www.pacificarts.org or www.sokalavillas.com.

Symposium Sessions, Call for Papers, Program and Venues:
Symposium sessions will focus on several perspectives:
- Objects from Central and Eastern Polynesia (the Cook Islands, Society Islands, Austral Islands, Gambier Islands, Marquesas Islands, Rapa Nui) in museums and private collections: Current research on 19th century and earlier works, including scientific testing.
- Pacific art and spirituality, including Islanders’ views today on the relationship between objects and atua (spirit beings, deified ancestors, and ‘gods’) past and as part of Christian practice today.
- Contemporary work by Pacific Islander artists, including Pasifika work coming out of urban centers; how artists influence changing perceptions and understandings of Pacific culture.
- The emerging role of museum websites and other web entities dealing with Pacific art. “Virtual repatriation” - what is it? Can it work?
- Representing Pacific art and cultures: The role of libraries, archives, museums and other institutions in the Pacific in furthering the understanding of Pacific art and raising issues concerning the interpretation of Pacific art by institutions worldwide.

The symposium will also include an open session.

Call for Papers for the Open Session
The Xth International Symposium of the Pacific Arts Association is pleased to call for papers on Pacific Art in the 21st Century - Museums, New Global Communities and Future Trends. The symposium seeks to highlight issues surrounding the creation, dispersal, possession, repatriation, stewardship and interpretation of Pacific art in the 21st century.

Key dates:
Paper Registration & Abstract March 1, 2010
Paper Submission Deadline March 20, 2010
Notification of Paper Acceptance May 20, 2010
Conference – Rarotonga, Cook Islands August 9-11, 2010

The Symposium Program
Day 1- August 9, 2010
- 9am National marae: All participants are invited to gather outside the National Museum, Victoria Road, Tupapa for a turou or traditional welcome onto the grounds of the Marae Puna Korero; from there we will move to the National Auditorium for speeches of welcome from the Minister of Culture and the PAA President, followed by the Keynote Address.
- Morning tea: marquee outside National Auditorium; entertainment by dance group - registration and distribution of program folders
- Morning sessions at 3 venues (National Auditorium; USP seminar room 1; USP Seminar Room 2)
- Lunch: Demonstrations/performances
- Afternoon - Contemporary work by Pacific Islander artists
- 7pm: Cook Islands Art Exhibition – Opening and performances

Day 2 - August 10, 2010
- Morning tea: marquee outside National Auditorium
- Morning: Objects from Central and Eastern Polynesia
- Morning sessions: Artists' panel
- Lunch: Demonstrations/performances
- Afternoon: Objects and atua – contemporary viewpoints
- 7pm: BCA Opening – Contemporary Pacific Art

Day 3- August 11, 2010
- Morning tea: marquee outside National Auditorium
- Morning sessions: the emerging role of museum websites and other web entities
- Lunch: market vendors; nearby cafes (Beachcomber, etc)
- Afternoon: Open Session
- 7 pm: Conference Dinner Pacific Resort with beachside venue ; covered entertainment area; cocktails on beach; traditional umu/ buffet; Polynesian string band;
dance troupe and entertainers; buses to town for Friday night entertainment

Venues
The main venue of the Symposium is the National Auditorium, located in a complex a few minutes walk from town. The complex includes the National Museum the National Library, the Cook Islands Library and Museum Society and the University of the South Pacific (USP) Cook Islands Centre. Two seminar rooms in the adjacent USP complex will also be used. Market vendors are to set up stalls on the grounds of the National Auditorium to provide a variety of cooked food and crafts for sale.

There will be exhibitions of Contemporary Pacific Art at the Beachcomber Gallery, Tautai New Zealand at the Art Studio, Nanette Lela'ulu and Contemporary Cook Islands at the National Museum, a photo exhibition at CILMS, and others. Demonstrations of tapa making, tivaivai, carving, basket and mat weaving will be held in covered areas outside the conference center. In addition, a number of local and island tours will be available to participants.

On arrival at the airport a program will be distributed with advice on how to get to the main venue for day 1.

Election of International Committee
Every four years elections are held for the officers of the International Executive Committee of the PAA International. During the symposium in Rarotonga, time will be scheduled for the 2010 election.

Travel Information
If you have not done so already, start planning your visit soon. Please bear in mind that from mainland USA the sole international carrier is Air New Zealand out of Los Angeles with one weekly direct flight to and from LAX; from New Zealand the main carriers are Air New Zealand and Pacific Blue (a subsidiary of Virgin Airlines); from Tahiti, Air Tahiti has a twice weekly flight. In all, there are around 18 international flights a week in and out of Rarotonga. Once there, daily flights by Air Rarotonga take you to the southern islands.

All accommodation enquiries and bookings are being handled by Kristine (Kristina@dmck.co.ck) at Destination Management Cook Islands.

Registration Information
Please register now and send your registration by e-mail to: dixon_r@usp.ac.fj or fax to: + 682 – 21315 or phone: + 682 – 29415
or snail mail to:
Director, University of the South Pacific, Cook Islands Campus
PO Box 130
Rarotonga, Cook Islands via New Zealand
*Please note airmail to the Cook Islands may be unreliable.

You may also Register online using Paypal through PAA's website.

Conference fee and mode of payment:
The conference fee is $US 150 per person.
For all those who register before June 30th, the fee is $US135 per person.
For students, retired, and unemployed, the registration fee is $US 75 per person.

These fees include a light lunch on the first day of the conference and morning and afternoon teas.

Payment Options:
a) cash, on arrival
b) remit sum requested to the following bank account: Westpac Bank, Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands – credit University of the
South Pacific, Cook Islands, USP Centre Main Account 192292201
c) PayPal: Please go to PAA website: www.pacificarts.org to register.

Please include the following information with your registration:
Contact Information:
Name:
Address:
e-mail:
and/or telephone:
and/or fax:
Technical Requirements: If you are presenting a paper, please let us know a few technical details which shall be helpful to support staff, e.g. For the presentation of my paper I will use one of the following:
PowerPoint ___
I prefer to bring my own ___ MAC ___ PC ___ Other laptop computer.
If other, please specify: _______________________
I will make use of the notebook provided and bring a ___ USB Memory Stick or ___ CD-ROM
Slides ___
Overhead projection ___

Conference dinner (price is 40$ USA in addition to registration fee)
To help in planning the dinner please advise:
I would like to take part in the communal dinner: ___ YES / ___ NO
The meal will be a traditional Cook Islands earth oven served as a buffet.
Please indicate any food preferences.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS AND CONFERENCES
2010 PAA Europe Annual Conference Update
Several interesting venues are currently under consideration for the next PAA Europe conference. Please check the PAA website for the upcoming announcement of the conference dates and location.

Pacific Arts Association @ College Art Association
CAA (College Art Association) 98th Annual Conference in 2010
As a benefit of its affiliation with the College Art Association, the PAA hosts a session of papers at the annual CAA conference. The 98th Annual Conference takes place 10-13 February 2010, in Chicago, Illinois.

The Hyatt Regency Chicago will be the conference hotel, holding most sessions and panels, Career Services, the Book and Trade Fair, receptions and special events, and more. The topic of the 2010 PAA at CAA Affiliated Society Full Session will be Views from the Continent: Art and the U.S. Pacific Diaspora; the topic of the PAA at CAA Affiliated Society special Session will be Visual Histories in and of Polynesia.

To download a PDF brochure listing the more than 120 sessions including the PAA session, please go to the CAA 2010 homepage. 

PAA at CAA 2010- Affiliated Society Full Session
Chairs: Margo Machida and Jewel Castro
Views from the Continent: Art and the U.S. Pacific Diaspora
Friday, February 12, 2:30-5:00pm
Acapulco, Gold Level, West Tower, Hyatt Regency

PAA at CAA 2010 - Affiliated Society Special Session
Visual Histories in and of Polynesia
Thursday, February 11, 5:30-7:00pm
Grand CD South, Gold Level, East Tower, Hyatt Regency

To view abstracts from previous sessions, please visit Past PAA at CAA.

For more about the CAA, including membership information and the full conference schedule, please visit the web site at www.collegeart.org.

The New York CAA Conference February 9-12, 2011
Information on submissions of session proposals for PAA at CAA 2011 is available on the PAA website.

For exhibition funding opportunities for 2011 sponsored by PAA at CAA, please go to PAA Exhibition Funding.

Other Conferences of Interest:
ESFO 2010, St Andrews, Scotland July 5-8, 2010
The University of St Andrews Centre for Pacific Studies hosts the 8th Conference of the European Society for Oceanists to explore the theme of Exchanging Knowledge in Oceania. In the setting of the medieval college town of St Andrews, 50 miles from Edinburgh, - also known as “the home of the game of golf” - delegates will examine what kinds of knowledge transfers between bodies of knowledge are currently going on in Oceania, and what kinds of emergent relations are being formed.

For other conferences that may be of interest, please visit Conferences of Interest.

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS
Power and Aesthetics: Traditional Art from Micronesia
Linden Museum Stuttgart
December 5, 2009 - June 6, 2010
Global warming and the international debate on climatic changes have once and again drawn attention to the small, low-lying islands in the Pacific and particularly to Micronesia. This, the upcoming centennial anniversary of the legendary South Seas Expedition by the Hamburg Museum in 1909 and the growing awareness of cultural achievements and the more active stance to at least preserve knowledge about them on the part of the Micronesian Islanders has motivated the Linden-Museum to stage the first comprehensive exhibition on Micronesian cultures in its history.

The exhibition presents three separate but interconnected parts:
1. Making a Living: A model of Atoll formation and the ecological aspects of reefs as “rainforests of the Seas” introduces the specific environment of low islands and shows the strategies used by different cultures to sustain a living.
2. To Other Islands and Beyond discusses the original settlement of the region and the strategies developed to preserve existence despite recurrent ecological threats, particularly in boatbuilding and navigation. A full-size-canoe and models of seagoing, as well as inter lagoon canoes and the relevant implements, demonstrate the construction principles and  processes intraditional canoe building and the forms of blue sea sailing.
3. Power and Aesthetics draws from the wealth of Micronesian objects in the Linden-Museum Stuttgart and other German and European museums and collections. Emphasis is placed on the artistic traditions of both high and low islands. While interpretation and world view are specific, together – and in their different expressions – they mediate the shared aesthetic of formal reduction, careful executed design and powerful presence.

Magnificent Facades: Paintings and Architecture by Abelam Artists
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mezzanine, The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
Closes December 31, 2009
J. Anthony Forge (1929-1991) worked with Abelam artists living in several villages in the Sepik Hills area of Papua New Guinea. During one visit in 1958-59 he commissioned artists to paint traditional designs, normally used for house facades, on rectangular sheets of gray paper. Several years later, Forge produced a set of nine silkscreen prints based on the paintings. This installation includes the prints and Forge’s photographs of the artists at work.

Oceanic Art: Celebration of Form
San Diego Museum of Art
Closes January 3, 2010
Oceanic Art: A Celebration of Form features 97 three-dimensional w orks, primarily from Melanesia and Polynesia, and also includes objects from Micronesia and Taiwan. Works on view come from three major California collections and include a variety of three-dimensional objects, including elaborate hand-carved sculptures, exquisite architectural elements, and several striking figures from New Ireland, Admiralty or Manus Islands. Among the highlights is a life-size sculpture from Nuku‘oro in the Caroline Islands (Micronesia), the only such figure in a private collection and rare Easter Island (Rapa Nui) carved figures.

Dance Machines from the Torres Strait Islands
East-West Center Gallery, 1601 East-West Road
Honolulu, Hawaii
Closes January 3, 2010
The East-West Center Arts Program is presenting Dance Machines from the Torres Strait Islands, a touring exhibition from Gab Titui Cultural Centre, Thursday Island, Torres Strait, Australia. The majority of the people in the 17 inhabited Torres Strait Islands are Melanesians, historically and culturally connected to the coastal peoples of Papua New Guinea. Dance is a major form of creative expression, and "dance machines" (zamiyakal) refers to hand-held mechanical moving objects and elaborate moving headdresses. Each clan and each island group has its own unique performance styles, passed down from generation to generation. In addition, each dance group has a unique array of dance machines, musical instruments, costumes, and repertoire.

OCEANIA: from Australia to Easter Island
Part of the permanent exhibition Walks in a World
The Grassi Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig
From November 27, 2009
Some 30,000 objects from the inhabitants of Australia and Oceania are preserved in the Grassi Museum of Ethnology Leipzig which reopens its Oceania wing now. Objects from the early contact period of white settlers with the indigenous Australian population in the 19th Century are supplemented with more recent acquisitions and paintings by contemporary, internationally renowned Aboriginal artists. New Guinea is represented by unique masks and a drum from the inhabitants of the islands of the Torres Strait while the immense diversity of local cultures is studied through objects from the Papuan Gulf and Sepik area. The island cultures of Micronesia are seen through household items, clothing and jewelry and above all boats, while the Islands of Melanesia and New Ireland, in particular, feature objects associated with burial rites. Objects from Fiji also hold a key place in this collection.

Today global warming threatens flat atolls with rising sea levels. This particularly affects the inhabitants of Tuvalu in Polynesia. The museum commissioned and documented the on site construction of a traditional living room and bedroom house from the island Niutao in Tuvalu by a native master builder and his three helpers on its website.

(Un)important Things
Ethnographic Collections of Ghent University, Het Pand
December 3, 2009 from 20:00-23:00; to Dec 20 11:00-12.30& 14:00-17:00
Thereafter by appointment until July 26: every first and third Wednesday of the month; open during Ghent Feasts July 16-26, 2010
An "accumulation exhibition" by the artist Camiel Van Breedam with his objects inspired by those in the ethnographic collection, and selected pieces of his oeuvre confronting ethnic art pieces in the permanent display. The exhibition is about similarity in material, forms and shapes and other elements.
Email Paulina.vanderZee|@UGent.be for appointments

Oceania: Signs of rites, Symbols of power
Reopening of Wereldmuseum Rotterdam
December 10, 2009-May 24, 2010
This December the World Museum Rotterdam officially reopens with Oceania, signs of rites, symbols of power. This borrowing from the ING Cultural Centre in Brussels links up perfectly with its own Oceania collection exhibiting the world of the South Pacific in all its diversity. With its Ethnographic collection, the World Museum offers the public a unique place to learn about world cultures, their rituals, stories and sacred objects. The museum presents a permanent display of more than 1.800 world top pieces from Asia, Oceania, America, Africa and the Islamic heritage. With a focus on spirituality its authentic and historic collection fuses with current interests in modern society.

Meaning and symbolism of male ornaments in Africa and Oceania
Musée Dapper, Paris
Closes July 11, 2010
An exhibition conceived and executed by the Musée Dapper, presenting some 150 works- many unpublished- from public and private collections, at the heart of which are the  ornaments and symbols revealing the masculine identity in sub-Saharan Africa and in Oceania. The exhibition brings together a broad diversity of works- ornaments, sculpture, clothing, emblems-and studies the physical and symbolic meaning with which these objects are invested.

A brochure and additional literature about the exhibition are available.

Sounding the Pacific: Musical Instruments of Oceania
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
Closes September 6, 2010
Musical instruments and musical expression take an almost infinite variety of forms throughout the world. This is especially true in Oceania (the Pacific Islands) whose more than 1,800 different peoples create an astonishing diversity of musical instruments. This exhibition—the first in an art museum to be devoted exclusively to Oceanic musical instruments explores the rich diversity of musical instruments created and used in the Pacific Islands. Drawn primarily from the Metropolitan’s collections, the exhibition features more than fifty instruments from small personal types such as panpipes and courting whistles to larger forms played at performances heard by the entire community, such as the exquisitely carved temple drums of the Austral Islands or the imposing sacred slit gongs of New Guinea.

Where Masks Still Dance - New Guinea
December 26, 2009 - June 6, 2010
and
Spirits and Headhunters: Art of the Pacific Islands
Opens February 2010
Bowers Museum Santa Ana, CA
Where Masks Still Dance: New Guinea features 40 black and white photographs, by documentary photographer Chris Rainier, known for his revealing images of the earth's last  wilderness areas and isolated indigenous people who live there. He documents masked ceremonies, crocodile cults, rites of passages, adornment, celebrations, and rituals rarely documented in the West. Chris Rainier will also guest curate the exhibition Spirits and Headhunters: Art of the Pacific Islands. This comprehensive exhibition highlights masterworks Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and with particular focus on New Guinea.


UPDATE ON THE PUBLICATION OF Pacific Arts
Members should have your copy of the most recent Pacific Arts Journal, NS Vol. 8, published in time for the Conference in Bonn, in hand already. If not, please contact Molly Huber at mhuber@artsmia.org. The issue features articles focusing on paintings, new galleries, collectors, and artists from the Pacific. Contributors include: Christian Kaufmann, Barry Craig, Lucie Carreau and Tressa Berman.

PAA is currently finalizing arrangements for a new publisher and as soon as the contract is signed members will be apprised. Meanwhile, we wish to thank Editor Anne Allen, Art Director Terri Czeczko, and our long time Production Director Jennifer Hintze for their work in bringing out the current volume.

Pacific Arts welcomes articles on the art of the Pacific region, especially papers on all topics pertinent to the visual and performing arts of the peoples of Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia, Australia, and Indonesia. Suggestions for special issues devoted to particular topics or regions, as well as for books, exhibitions, videos, etc., for review are encouraged. Articles should be no longer than 5,000 words, with no more than 10 illustrations. Reviews (exhibition, book, video, etc.) should be a maximum of 1500 words and may include 1-2 illustrations. Articles solicited and unsolicited, will be submitted for peer-review and authors advised in writing of the decision within a reasonable amount of time. Upon acceptance of an article or review, high-resolution digital files (minimum 300 dpi in a jpeg format) will be requested. Original slides or prints cannot be returned. The Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition, 2003) is the guideline.

Volunteer Peer Reviewers needed
The Pacific Arts Journal needs volunteers to peer review articles submitted to the journal. We hope to compile a list of qualified individuals. If you are interested please send your name, email address, and a brief summary of your expertise to Anne Allen at aeallen@ius.edu.

Check the PAA Website for updates and more information about the PAA Journal.

NEW PUBLICATIONS
Re-presenting Pacific Art
Edited by Karen Stevenson & Virginia-Lee Webb
This volume explores the changing dynamics in contemporary art production in the Pacific as well as the institutions that support these arts, while questioning the ideologies that have perpetuated the colonial narrative. These changes come not only from a move towards contemporary art production from Pacific Islanders, but also from changes in institutional  ideologies. The interaction between a traditional past often seen as static, and the contemporary reality of the manipulation of the past comes to life in this volume. This unique work brings forth new ideas not frequently explored in relation to Pacific arts. Focusing upon Irian Jaya, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, as well as New Zealand, Australia, and Papua New Guinea, different stories emerge about the contemporary interaction between cultures, ideas and art. A critical look at the practice of collecting and display as well as its inadequacies and triumphs helps to balance the relationship between artist, collector and institution. This volume is the sixth in a continuing series, recording the proceedings of the Pacific Arts  Association four-yearly Symposiums.
Crawford House Publishing Australia, 2009
Color and black and white illustrations
ISBN 978-1-86333-309
www.crawfordhouse.com.au
To order:
Crawford House Publishing Aust. Pty. Ltd.
14 Dryandra Drive, PO Box 50, Belair, SA5052 Australia
Tel: + 61 8 8370 3555
Fax: + 61 8 8370 3566
Mob: 0439 808 463
Email: tonycraw@bigpond.net.au
Price: $69.95

Tapa: Etoffes cosmiques d'Oceanie
Marie-Claire Bataille-Benguigui, Hélène Guiot, Claude Stéfani, Fanny Wonu Veys
Catalogue for the first exhibition of its kind in France, held at the Cahors Museum Henri-Martin June-November 2009. The "cosmic fabrics of Oceania", tapas, are parts of the culture of the area and inspired the most important of Western 20th century painters. Seen here are works held in such prestigious French collections as the Musée du Quai Branly, the National Marine Museum in Rochefort, the Musée de Confluences in Lyon, the Beaux Arts et de la Dentelle museum in Alençon, the Galerie Mayer-Oceanic Art, and private collections, some heretofore unpublished or not well known, creating a representative group of painted barkcloth fabrics from Melanesia and Polynesia. These "complex objects" and "treasures" beautify the daily and help to keep harmony in man, the world and the gods. They are objects of multiple facets and symbolic interpretations, which accompany man from birth to death, in all circumstances and at different levels-daily, social, economic and religious.
Musée de Cahors Henri-Martin
Cahors, 2009
127 pages, color and black and white illustrations
ISBN 978-2-9526224-0-0 (br.)
www.mairie-cahors.fr/musee
To order:
Musée de Cahors Henri-Martin
792 rue Emile Zola
46000 Cahors, France
Tel: 33 5 65 20 88 66
€22 by bank check made out to Tresor public

Au Fil des Iles
Gaspard de Marval, George Breguet
An overview of 153 Indonesian objects from the Gediking-Ferrand collection. Of the 153 pieces two-thirds are songket, ikats and batiks; there are also weapons, masks and wayang puppets and objects of daily life from the Dutch Indonesian colonial period. Some of these are either rare or unknown in the abundant literature on the subject, among them the oldest known pieces in Europe and of particular scientific interest. The book has two parts: the first, a general text placing the works in their Indonesian and Swiss contexts; the second, catalogues and illustrates each object.
In French with a summary in English and Dutch
Musée D'Ethnographie, Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel, 2008
404 pages, color illustrations
ISBN 2-88078-033-0
secretariat.men@ne.ch

Vukumo: Art and life of the Kilenge. A personal perspective Papua New Guinea
Philip Dark, Mavis Dark
The late Philip Dark and his wife recount experiences of their stay in Papua New Guinea among the Melanesian Kilenge people, speakers of an Austronesian language, at the western end of New Britain.
Crawford House Publishing Australia, 2009
308 pages, color and black and white illustrations
ISBN 9781863333306 (pbk.)
www.crawfordhouse.com.au

Ritual Art at the Source: Malagan on Tabar Island, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
Michael Gunn
Michael Gunn, today PAA President, was one of those scholars who were seduced by the almost irresistible urge to interpret the symbolism found on malagan artworks from northern New Ireland. After several years of preliminary research in museums in the West, he traveled to the Tabar Islands, legendary source of the malagan ritual that resulted in the creation of many of these masks and painted wooden figures. He had anticipated that this work would be a form of ethnohistory – asking the old men about a tradition long dead, more an exercise in the effects of memory upon the re-creation of culture. But to his surprise Gunn found that malagan was still alive and actively practiced by the 2500 people living on Tabar in 1982.
In addition to providing a description and analysis of the malagan artproducing ritual traditions as practiced on Tabar in the late 20th century, based on Gunn's visit to every village here he located each of the owners of the malagan art-producing ritual and asked which part of the ritual he/she owned, this book also includes a number of photographs of malagan figures and masks, as well as other objects of material culture that were collected from the Tabar Islands during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Crawford House Publishing Australia, 2010
336 pages, color and black and white illustrations
ISBN 1863332359
www.crawfordhouse.com.au

Living Spirits with Fixed Abodes
Editor: Barry Craig
On the eve of Papua New Guinea’s attainment of independence from Australia, Chief Minister Michael Somare referred to the new nation’s cultural treasures as living spirits with fixed abodes. He was referring to the prevailing belief of Papua New Guineans that everything is invested with spirit, not least the objects carved, modeled or constructed for ceremonial, and often everyday use. In 1977, the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery moved into a new building, located next to, but constructed before, the National Parliament. The Masterpieces Exhibition remains in place today and this book gives the reader a thorough account of each of the 209 objects on display.
Crawford House Publishing Australia, 2010
296 pages, color illustrations
ISBN 1863332588
www.crawfordhouse.com.au

Staying Fijian: Vatulele Island Barkcloth and Social Identity
Rod Edwins
Bark-cloth or masi (generally called tapa by non-Fijians) is the traditional art of the women of Vatulele. While many other Fijian art forms have declined or disappeared, and barkcloth is no longer produced in some places where it once was, and despite its utilitarian functions having been totally usurped by Western cloth and paper, its production on this small island has increased steadily for over forty years. This book looks at the implications of this apparently paradoxical cultural vigor and ultimately, presents it as a strong unifying force for a small community facing many local and global challenges. The book places a very local activity in a global context, not only sociologically, but also theoretically. As well as presenting a theoretical and empirical study, it includes a number of photographs of barkcloth production and usage, and relevant ritual, historical and from the author’s own fieldwork.
Crawford House Publishing Australia, 2009
402 pages, color and black and white illustrations
ISBN Australia: 978-1-86333-302-9 ISBN USA: 978-0-8248-3112-7
www.crawfordhouse.com.au

PAA MEMBER NEWS
Works by PAA Member artist Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi, is included in the exhibition Stoneleigh Sculpture in the Gardens, November 7, 2009 -February 14, 2010.

PAA member artist Shigeyuki Kihara was awarded the Contemporary Pacific Artist Award from Creative New Zealand Arts Council, on November 13, 2009

New member of PAA- Europe's Board Wonu Veys has been named Curator of Oceanic Art at Leyden's Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde.

PAA MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Individuals and institutions wishing to become members or renew membership of the PAA should apply to the Treasurer providing the information below, along with fees (no cash please).

Fees may be paid:
- ONLINE at the PAA website using the secure encrypted payment method PayPal (we accept VISA or MasterCard)
- Or by mailing a check (in US dollars payable to Pacific Arts Association) or credit card information (Mastercard or Visa, include number, expiration date, and signature) to:
Molly Huber, PAA Treasurer
AONA
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
2400 3rd Ave. South
Minneapolis, MN 55404 USA
mhuber@artsmia.org

Annual Membership Fees
Professional, institutions, museums, libraries, collectors, dealers: $50
Artists, students and retired persons: $35
PAA Europe: €10
PAA Europe new memberships or renewals should be sent to:
Roberta Colombo
Musée d'ethnographie de Geneve
65, boulevard Carl-Vogt
Case postale 191, CH-1211
Genève 8m, Switzerland
roberta.colombo@eth.ville-ge.ch

Change of address? Questions about dues? Contact Molly Huber at mhuber@artsmia.org

FROM THE EDITOR
It is my pleasure to present you with the second and last PAA newsletter for 2009. As you have read, it relates many of the events and activities world-wide focusing on Pacific arts. The highlight of this year was the very successful PAA conference in Bonn, perfectly organized by Deiter Heintze and Antje Kelm. Many thanks to them for their hard work and enthusiasm. This symposium brought together scholars, curators, collectors, James Cook Society members, and an interested general public. The James Cook exhibition, curated by Adrienne Kaeppler, fulfilled the erstwhile wish to see the Cook collection together in one venue, allowing us all to share in the knowledge and experiences of all those who had close contact with the Cook material over many years.

2010 brings with it the promise of the PAA- International Symposium in Rarotonga, and a yet to be announced PAA European meeting. The new Curator of Oceanic art at the Museum of Ethnography in Leiden, Wonu Veys, has also become a member of PAA Europe's Board as has Chantal Knowles of the National Museums of Scotland. We welcome them both!

Many thanks again to Frances Barrow of Tel-Aviv, Israel whose translating and editorial skills have been invaluable to me in bringing this edition of the PAA Newsletter to you.

Wishing you a happy and productive 2010,
Dorit Shafir

For a printer friendly version, please see the attachment below.

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NOV 2009 PAA .pdf837.83 KB