Promoting cross-cultural dialogue and knowledge exchange between Fiji and the Maori community, the Fiji Museum welcomed Te Ara Tapuwae, an artist exchange that will be taking the initiative forward by connecting with artists from Fiji to learn and share creative practice ideas.
As part of the Te Ātinga Contemporary Māori Arts Committee, delegations of artists from the NZ Māori Clay Collective and Māori Printmakers Collective will be connected to the cultural and historical practises.
The delegation will also be investigating the production and process of masi making during their time in Fiji as it's their first visit in Fiji.
Committee Chair Margaret Aull says she hopes that through this engagement they can develop meaningful relationships which will grow opportunities for Fijian and Māori artists to strengthen indigenous networks and celebrate our cultural identity through arts.
It will be an exciting week for the Fiji Museum which cares for both historical and contemporary treasures that is made from clay and barkcloth as pottery and bark cloth making are integral parts of iTaukei culture.
These artforms both tell stories of our unique cultural heritage as well as demonstrate similarities with other cultures in the Pacific region.
Acting Director Fiji Museum, Dr Katrina Talei Igglesden says they are excited to learn from the brilliant artists who will be spending the week with our local artists by sharing and weaving our collective experiences and histories.
The Fiji Museum will be hosting a Community Day this Saturday where the visiting artists will share their experiences with the public and the communities that we serve.
They will also work to preserve the cultural heritage of both Fiji’s Indigenous inhabitants and the other communities that have settled here over the past 200 years.
As Fiji’s national museum, it exists to collect, care for and share over 10,000 of objects, textile, flatwork, archaeology, natural history and archival/photographs in its collection, and through this will tell a story about Fiji’s history.
