Shared inspiration

This last Friday I had the pleasure of spending with my kids at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. After reading about the Maori meeting house that is there, I had to go visit and spend some time in it. Coming at it from a carvers standpoint is something that can be very overwhelming.

At the end of the Pacific Spirits exhibit there is the meeting house and other carvings from NZ.

During our visit there, I sat and watched a video presentation of Maori tribal elders sharing their culture and explaining details about the meeting house. It also had highlights from the opening. Afer the presentation I got to spend some solo time inside the house taking in all that I could from the spirits invoked into the panels. With other visitors walking in and out and my own kids nearby, however many minutes I sat in quiet, it wasn't nearly enough. The feeling is something that I would trivialize by trying to describe it but it is something that I wish that everyone can experience, especially all the carvers here. As you progress, you turn your hobby into a craft, then an art, and in turn a lifestyle and a religion, just like these Maori warrior/artists who have a carving diety grown out of the mythology of their culture. Each of you would be given something special and unique from a visit like that.

There's were a couple hundred pictures I took but here are the highlights:

The minis in front of the meeting house. With the flash, you can see all the paua eyes of the carved panels.

The rafters were patterned with the mangopare motif and at the ends were uniquely detailed panels each representative of a tribal ancestor.

These are a few modern carvings done by NZ artists presented to the museum.

Weapons and images with ancestral boards from the PNG part of the Pacific Spirits exhibit.

A Hawaiian carving and shields from the Pacific Spirits section.

Weapons and fish hooks from the Pacific Spirits section.

Near 50ft totems in the Museum Atrium right by the entrance for the Americas exhibit.

These are big totems about 20 ft tall and a few mini totems about 1.5 ft. from the Pacific Northwest exhibit.

There are more from the visit that I shared out through the following link:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbMmrZy0cN36g

I hope they inspire someone else to create the same way they do to me.

Thanks for posting the link. Those are some great pics. Please keep the link open so we can continue to reference that album. Thanks.

-Gman

My wife and i visited NZ last year for our honeymoon...in Rotorua (Maori capital) we visited a Maori school where they are teaching the old culture and carving to young Maori's..we watched as they were learning to carve for a hour or so...just amazing...it is such a moving place...your pics reminded me of our brief visit to that amazing culture...wonderful...

Cool pics. Love it

On 2005-11-27 16:24, GMAN wrote:
Thanks for posting the link. Those are some great pics. Please keep the link open so we can continue to reference that album. Thanks.

-Gman

Will do, braddah. It's there for ideas, so take as many as you can from them.

And if you or anyone has questions about any of the pics, feel free to ask. There are pictures from exhibits other than Pacific Spirits in that album. Let me know if it's not distinguishable.

I wanted to point out this image of Ruatepupuke, the Maori diety who came out of the sea and gave man the knowledge of woodcarving and who the meeting house is named after.

Those are great pics . I really like the ones with the eyes showing from the flash.

Beautiful...Now I have to go! I thought the nearest one was in Wellington!

Mano... you've now officially visited one of my favorite places in Chicago! When I was going to school my student ID got me into all of the museums for free. I used to spend my afternoon breaks at the Field (especially in the dark sections). I love the fact that you can witness "proof" of Heyerdahl's polynesian habitation theory in the art and artifacts... And, you can do it under one roof!

Mahalo for brightening my day! It's been a couple years since I moved and I truly miss the Field!

MAno, you are truly Blessed to have such an experience and are a true Gentleman for sharing it with us all. I would Love to see it in person, but thanks for the pictures. Awesome!

Definately thanks for the inspiration. Thank you for sharing the experience. Now if I can just come up with an excuse to visit Chicago.

I'm glad to share even though it's the least I can do to spread the creative energies. I have been drawing like crazy, coming up with new ideas for projects. Unfortunately, I haven't cut into any wood yet. I still have to finish the works in progress that I have now.

BK / PCT - Announce if you are planning a visit to Chicago and I will definitely help out where I can. If they have another Exotica event next year, it would be the perfect time to visit the museum among the other places of tiki interest.

otikiniko - I'm guessing you went to school either at the AIC or CCC. I graduated from CCC btw but I never spent any breaks at The Field.

Thank you for posting this!!!! I used to travel all the time to Chicago for work and visited this exhibit on my last trip over a year ago. I never had the chance to go back to take photographs of pieces I was interested in. The photos in your link had everything I wanted to take. I was really excited to see them, so thank you again.

This exhibit has several pieces featured in "The Arts of the South Seas" by Ralph Linton, the cover of which is shown in the BOT pg 247. Used copies available on Amazon

JohnnyP

The Field Musuem is a jewel in Chicago... I haven't been there in a few years and your pictures have inspired me for another visit next week when the wife and I come down for our annual holiday window shopping trip on Michigan Avenue...

and the informal TC gathering to see off Trader Vic's :(

Thnaks for the great post!

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer 2005-11-28 23:00 ]