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Bishop museum of Tiki

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Not to get morbid on you all (even though when I pass on to the big tiki bar in the sky I plan to be cremated and my ashes placed in a tiki urn!) but my wife and I have a rather large collection of all things tiki and hawaiiana. She collects figurines such as Julene and tableware such as Santa Anita and I collect the most important aspect of, well anything - tiki! So one day last week, as I often do, I was peering at our collection thinking what will I do with all my precious tikis when I'm gone? My daughters have only a small interest in the collection, and I would turn in my urn (hey I like that!) if my stuff ended up on the driveway at a yard sale. So I pronounce this - we need to have a tiki museum something like the Bishop museum in HI. It would have to be set up as a trust, even though I like you all, I'm not going to let anyone abscond with my collection and if we had a board of directors maybe that risk would be lessened. Anyway, what are your thoughts on what to do with your collection at the final ALOHA?

W

Maybe a more fitting end to a carefully gathered Tiki collection would be its dispersal to numerous thrift shops so that other hunters and collectors could share in the joy of the great find. (Cue "Circle of Life")

S
Swanky posted on Wed, Jun 5, 2002 6:56 AM

Here's what you do:

Come to Hukilau 2002, 2003,...

Go to various tiki events.

Make good tiki friends.

Keep close to them.

Figure out which ones you want in your Will.

Let them divide it up.

Keep it in the "family" of those who really cherish it.

My emormous 50's lamp/clock/radio/etc. collection has various good friends' names on it. I know they love it all. My daughter si 10. Who knows if A) she will grow up to like it, or B) it will fit in her style.

I'd rather give it to people who will love and appreciate it than let others sell it off for money when I am dead.

I like all three ideas: The spreading of the treasures among trusted and confirmed Tikiphiles, the thriftstore re-dispersing is a lovely concept and very philosophical (like spreading your ashes over the ocean), AND off course the museum:
The key question would be how to make it economically feasable: The venue probably would have to be connected with another money making venture, since it could not survive on the scattered visitors alone, and pop culture concepts don't get grants (or do they?...The Museum of Jurassic Technology just got a million or so, but they had an award winning book written about it).

I know MANY great collections of Tiki artefacts, with some Tikis stemming from specific sites, or relating to pop culture history, (like the two Tikis I have whose counterparts appeared in Gilligan's Island episodes) that could be exhibited with photos and other relevant items, similar to the Book of Tiki. It would be quite a project...but WHERE, HOW and WHO would do it?

Actually, the closest thing we have to a Tiki Museum is Oceanic Arts! Full of history, and Bob and Leroy (if they have time and they like you) are excellent guides...

Come to think of it, what will happen to all that stuff once they retire?!!!

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