Aloha OA! Celebrating 65 Years of Oceanic Arts; April 2022

Peekaboo Gallery hosted five events in April 2022 at Oceanic Arts to celebrate Bob and LeRoy and their legendary contribution to tiki culture.

Saturday, April 2: Oceanic Arts: The Godfathers of Tiki

Saturday, April 9: Homecoming, OA: The Tiki Revival

Saturday, April 10: By Popular Demand: Tiki Revival Encore

Saturday, April 16: Apocalypse Tiki! An Evening at The Tikis

Sunday, April 17: Family Day at OA: Easter Island Funday

https://www.peekaboogallery.com/aloha-oa/

Tangaroa recently lamented that there wasn't anything on TC about the Oceanic Arts events, so let's correct that.

Did you attend (or present at) one of these events? Please share your experience, pictures, etc., here so that we can document everything as much as possible.

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-04-19 23:36:36 ]

I heard about this from no less than three friends AFTER it happened! C'mon, people, help me out here! Anyway, yes, auction this Sat: https://www.peekaboogallery.com/oceanic-arts-vintage-tiki-collection-auction/

Looks pretty freakin epic, and I mean EPIC.

I think TC was still down when this event was announced.

The Tiki Times newsletter is a good resource to keep up with things. http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/the-week-in-tiki/

Adrian just posted a video of the VIP event:

Oceanic Arts VIP Night and Proclamation Ceremony & Ribbon Cutting! Retirement and Farewell Party!
https://youtu.be/fyNwutsBNd4

And I also found this video from the first event on April 2:

Aloha, OA! - A Farewell to Oceanic Arts, Godfathers of Tiki! 1956-2022
https://youtu.be/JN83zwJX1ug

This thread is too quiet! Who went? Pics/ videos, please!

From night 2

More photos here: https://ultimatemaitai.com/2022/04/10/aloha-oa-night-2/

Thanks for sharing, Kevin.

Adrian has posted another video, this a complication of several events:

Aloha OA Part 2 - Oceanic Arts Final Farewell Parties! 3 Nights of Aloha OA Festivities!
https://youtu.be/VjicEmUa78Q

Wow, the videos are great thanks for making them Polynesianpop and thanks for posting the links here too guys.

Looks like there were a lot of people documenting the event. Thats good.

The sale was set up awesome! Wait till you see that room empty it will hit ya hard.

When I bought the Kahiki stuff it was just me in a dark damp Wearhouse with the lady selling the stuff or her maint guy Jessie.

Not as cool as that sale but the prices were a LOT lower without other people. Plus, the whole backroom secret sale stuff was kinda fun too.

[ Edited by tikiskip on 2022-05-08 16:34:19 ]

Got an email from Peekaboo Gallery today announcing a tiki mug that also included this reflection on the April events and highlighted what it meant to LeRoy and Bob (emphasis added):

The historic Aloha, OA! Exhibition, the books, the catalog and the auction for OCEANIC ARTS were life changing for us and, we hope, for you as well. Celebrating the life and work of Bob Van Oosting and LeRoy Schmaltz and their 65+ years in operation was emotional and a blast for everyone involved. Tiki fans from around the globe joined us both in-person and online in honoring these two beloved ‘Godfathers of Tiki’! The month-long series of ALOHA, OA! events were sublime with the magical OA warehouse transformed into a colorful Tiki wonderland. Visitors were enveloped by that special quality that has made Oceanic Arts such a beloved cornerstone of the Tiki world. We’d also like to thank all our crew, our entertainers and speakers, our guest bar hosts and staff, food vendors and both the City of Whittier and The Whittier Museum and Historical Society.

We’d also like to reflect on the passing of a giant: LeRoy E Schmaltz. The outpouring of love and affection at the ALOHA, OA! Events and auction were truly blissful for LeRoy. He was so honored by all of you and as he said many times during these events, his heart was full. Bob is doing great and would like to thank all of you for your love and support.