Long Beach's Pacific Island Ethnic Art Musuem

Thought some of you folks might be interested in this soon to be opened Long Beach's Pacific Island Ethnic Art Musuem focusing on Oceanic Art from Micronesia. Not sure of how much tiki influence this region had but they mention. "Their carved figures tend to be small, possibly because wood is scarce, and very spiritual, serving a protective function by maintaining positive relations between humans and the divine,"

http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_11676445

[ Edited by: Mongoloid 2009-02-11 09:15 ]

RIGHT ON!
Mahalo for the scoop!
Hurry up Summer!

Wow, what a surprise! That sounds good!

"The museum's 2,400-square-foot sculpture garden will contain six wooden figures ranging from 5 to 7 feet tall."

Wow, very cool.

Hey, that's just down the street from me. I was wondering what that building was going to me, should be interesting to check out. Thanks for the heads up!

SWEET I'm gonna check it out. Thanks for the Info and I live like 5 blocks from there Sweet!!!!
K-Billy

[ Edited by: K-Billy 2009-02-12 20:46 ]

Just read in the Long Beach Grunion Gazette that the Pacific Island Museum is still looking for a curator. They are shooting for a early 2010 opening. They are currently working on a sculpture garden which will include a stone money bank and a dance platform for live art, such as traditional island dance and interactive cultural demonstrations.

So WHICH thread is gonna be the official one on this Museum? This one or:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=32194&forum=1

:) Mongoloid was first with the news to begin with, but then late with the update...and this one has no photos...hmm

Wow...It amazing to hear it.This is sounds good..

Regards

Albert

Pret immobilier

An official web page

Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum

And a VIP Opening on Saturday, June 12

[->>King Bushwich 33rd

Just received a newsletter and The Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum's grand opening will be officially celebrated at the end of summer 2010.

Thank you for keeping us in the loop! I wrote them an e-mail a while ago introducing myself and asking if they would be interested in doing a Poly pop-to-contemporary Tiki art show, but had no response yet. I hope they will not have the dusty old academic stance of not recognizing and valuing pop manifestations of an indigenous art genre. The location of this place would be so perfect for such an exhibit.

On 2010-06-17 11:49, bigbrotiki wrote:
Thank you for keeping us in the loop! I wrote them an e-mail a while ago introducing myself and asking if they would be interested in doing a Poly pop-to-contemporary Tiki art show, but had no response yet. I hope they will not have the dusty old academic stance of not recognizing and valuing pop manifestations of an indigenous art genre. The location of this place would be so perfect for such an exhibit.

Any response?

Just received this email today.

Hello Alii Aloha Bula Ekamawir Omo Fakaalofa lahi atu Gude Hafa Adai Halo oloketa Kaselehlia Ia ora na Kia ora Lotu wo Malo e lelei Mauri Mogethin Ran-allim Talofa Taloha ni Yokwe

Welcome to the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum (PIEAM). We are the only museum of its kind, in the world. We enjoyed meeting you at E Hula Mau yesterday. We look forward to introducing you to the art from Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia. The museum grand opening celebration is October 15-17, 2010.

We are located in the East Village Arts District in downtown Long Beach, California. We have a unique island unto an island location. PIEAM is situated on a triangular piece of land bordered by 7th Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, and Alamitos Avenue. The mural design on the exterior of the PIEAM building recreates a traditional Men’s House from the Island of Yap, one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia. Also we have a sculpture garden which includes a Stone Money Bank (“Rai”) and a dance platform (“Mahlal”).

We will be featuring a community exhibit, “Walk In.” This is a multi-dimension exhibit where people are the art. It is seeing the traditional medicine healer as the artist, the mother in creation myths as the artist and the dancer as the artist.

With your support, as a future member, a corporate partner or as a donor, we will welcome you to the exotic, unexplored realm of the Pacific Island culture. As we progress to opening day, we look forward to a visit from you and as well as your continued interest.

With respect,

Fran

On 2010-08-28 16:30, Mongoloid wrote:

Welcome to the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum (PIEAM). We are the only museum of its kind, in the world. We enjoyed meeting you at E Hula Mau yesterday. We look forward to introducing you to the art from Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia. The museum grand opening celebration is October 15-17, 2010.

Good news.

I see the Grand Opening has already been announced here. They have a big sign hanging out front announcing it as well. Just so any out of towners know, the morning of the 17th is the Long Beach Marathon so expect some street closures until probably mid-day if you plan on attending on Sunday.

Daily Breeze: Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum

Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum Grand Opening
Friday, Oct 15 6:00p to 10:00p
at Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum, Long Beach, CA

I received an email from PIEAM also regarding accomodations for the grand opening if anyones interested.

Westin Long Beach is extending a special rate of $99.00 + tax per night for guests coming to Long Beach for the PIEAM grand opening event. The rate is valid for the nights of October 14 and/or 15 only.
For guests making reservations please follow the instructions below:
Contact Eddie Uehara or Tiffany Sovann, directly either by phone or e-mail.
Eddie Uehara, 562-951-2727 or at [email protected].
Tiffany Sovann, 562-499-2009 or at [email protected].

Refer to the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum (PIEAM) event
Arrival and departure dates
Credit card info to guarantee the room
Room type preference - one King or two Doubles
Parking is $16.00 self and $19.00 valet

Article in todays Press Telegram.

http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_16341193

Save-the-Date: First Annual Pasifika Living Arts event first weekend in May

The Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum (PIEAM) presents the First Annual Pasifika Living Arts event on the first weekend of May 2011. Pasifika Living Arts will feature workshops and performances by traditional artists and cultural specialists from across Pasifika’s diverse islands. This event celebrates May as National Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and serves as the ideal launch to the Pacific Islander community’s summer festival season.

Pasifika Living Arts will showcase many traditional living arts that are already confirmed. These will include a workshop/performance of authentic Chamoru dance representing the Marianas Islands, a workshop/ performance of the famed fire knife dance representing the Samoan Islands, a lecture/presentation on traditional wooden tools, weapons and handicrafts representing the Fijian Islands, a lecture/demonstration on historic taro cultivation and farming and poi pounding demonstration representing the Hawaiian Islands, a Tapa cloth-making/designing workshop and storytelling (oral tradition) presentation representing the Samoan Islands, and a fishhook bone carving workshop representing various Polynesian cultures.

This event is not only to showcase and educate about the ethnic arts but also to document/preserve and open them up to a worldwide audience. Therefore there will be live web-streaming of Living Arts workshops, lectures, and performances to reach a global audience.

We look forward to welcoming you to PIEAM’s First Annual Pasifika Living Arts showcase this weekend, May 7-8, noon to 5 pm. Below is our updated event schedule.

If you are unable to attend but would still like to participate we will be live web-streaming at http://www.pieam.org/livestream. Click on the link to be able to see the demonstrations as they happen without a time delay. You will see a television screen on our website. Event starts at Noon (PDT), 3 pm (EDT) or go to http://www.timeanddate.com/ to find out your local time.

You also have the option to be part of the event with social media, such as to interact.

Event Schedule
Workshops are at MOLAA’s Sculpture Garden, 628 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802.
Admission is Free for members, 18 and under, all students and teachers with ID; $5 general; $3 seniors for both days. Entrance to PIEAM is complimentary. Free parking is available at MOLAA’s parking lot or PIEAM’s parking lot at 644 Alamitos Avenue.

Saturday, May 7, 2011, Noon – 5 pm [doors open 11:30 am]
12:10 pm Blessing, Mario Borja, Sakman Chamorro Project Master Carver and Sakman crew, Che’lu
12:20 pm Opening Guest Speaker, Peter Malufau, member, Tau Omega Alpha, the first Pacific Islander Fraternity
12:30 pm Bone Carving Demonstration by Louie the Fish
1:30 pm Canoe Demonstration by Sakman Chamorro Project, Che’lu
2:15 pm Fire Knife Demonstration by Fire Knife of Samoa
3:15 pm Chamoru Dance Demonstration by Kutturan Chamoru Foundation
4:00 pm Guest Speaker, Sefa Aina, member, President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
4:30 pm Closing Blessing

Sunday, May 8, 2011, Noon – 5 pm [doors open 11:30 am]
In honor of Mother’s Day, all mothers are free and she receives a complimentary GIFT (while supplies last)

Noon Blessing, Mario Borja, Sakman Chamorro Master Carver
12:20 pm Canoe Demonstration by Sakman Chamorro Project, CHELU
1:15 pm Nose Flute Demonstration by Martin Espino, multi-instrumentalist scholar, instrument maker and educator
2:15 pm Weaving Demonstration by Kelani Silk and Christina Kalles
3:15 pm Bone Carving Demonstration by Louie the Fish
4:15 pm Closing Blessing by Pastor George Briand

Following each demonstration, there will be opportunities for audience members to participate in a hands-on workshop on each art form. This will be on a first come first serve basis. Throughout the event, we will have guest appearances from Pacific Island Talent Contestants.

drive past that suck-ka every time i hit the freeway... hope i make it in the doors finally

only one 'tiki-gringo' to show yesterday... Big Bro!!... maybe more showed but we were there early. Great Bone carving info just given away for a $5 admission.

always researching.. even on a Saturday

Pretty cool!
Thanks for sharing.:)

It was fun to spend the time with Al and chat Tiki - but I was a little disappointed that nobody else showed.
Louie the Fish has had an amazing life story, he has been everywhere in Polynesia, and lived the primitive life on remote islets, going more "native" than most born islanders! Louie actually revived the art of bone carving in some of those places. AND he plays a mean blues harmonica!

The museum itself was, well, a SURPRISE...
First of: The mural painting on the outside is amazing!:

Upon entering we are greeted by this great display of Tapwanu masks:

(Poly pop reference:)

The same room had other interesting exhibits...

...like one about Palau men's club house storyboard paintings.

And then...to my surprise...that was IT?...!

The museum is in fact one big room only. I naively expected something on the scale of the Museum of Latin American Art, which is just across the street:

MOLA is a modern complex with a lobby, several exhibit spaces, and a restaurant attached. Well, PIEAM is more like an art gallery in size. I felt humbled by the realization that more than ever, today Pacific islanders really ARE a minority, a small group of people, and they need all the support they can get to have their culture survive. GO to this place, become members, and support it!

In addition to their exhibit inside, PIEAM's sculpture garden is wonderful to explore:

My favorite modernist carvings: Caroline Islands gods/goddesses

A more naturalistic goddess:

MY goddess Naomi with Yap money stones:

And two more Tapwanu masks:

with a nice, simple description of their tradition:

...and then, last not least, this lady (no, she is not the "goddess of the motorhome"!):

She had already greeted us as a painting over the entrance door (in a more chaste form -see Trader Vic's 80s menu):

Here is an original:

These statues traditionally sat over the entrances of Palau men's houses (below), representing the priestess (?) that the men's "club" would choose to serve them for a limited time, a year or so...

This was all codified in ritual meaning, as far as I understand, but here is a more down to earth report about the tradition:

"The men’s house of each village had their own ‘mistress’ who was the only female allowed to enter. This woman was usually not well liked by the other women of the village, as aside from her duties cleaning the men’s house she also pleasured all the men; in strong contrast to Palau’s more matriarchal society. To the relief of the village women, the Germans successfully stopped this practice by putting forward the practical suggestion that this habit posed a real health risk as well as being immoral!"

Those uptight Germans! In defense of my people I have to say though that at the same time in Germany (around 1900- 1910) the same sexual freeness impressed the German avantgarde artists, like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, to create wall hangings for his bohemian studio such as these:

However, just like the "hung" Tiki statues, these carvings seemed to have been too risque to find use in mid-century American Tiki temples.

But back to PIEAM:
After seeing it, I quickly forgot my idea to ask them to do a Poly pop exhibit there. They need every inch they have for their own art and history, a Tiki exhibit would have made sense in one of several galleries - if they would have those. But here in their only room, it would be too loud.

Nice.

Dads Receive Free Admission to PIEAM on Father’s Day!

The Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum will offer FREE admission for Dads on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 19, 2011. In addition to free admission for Dad, several activities are planned for the day including a museum tour at 1 pm and a special screening of the film “Skin Stories” in our media room (limited seating) at 2 pm.

“Skin Stories” is an anthology of stories and stunning images gathered from the hot spots of the Pacific tattoo: from the steaming landscape of Rotura in New Zealand to the vibrant gathering of the first international tattoo convention in Apia, Samoa; from the terraced, lush taro fields of Maui to the golden beaches of O’ahu and California. The film is courtesy of the Pacific Islanders in Communications.

Museum admission is free for members; $5 for adults; $3 for students & seniors with ID; free for kids under 12. PIEAM is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm.

As a new father, I like this.
Plan on taking son there at some point, so as to raise him Tiki.

Mongoloid, thanks for the info, I live in Huntington Bch, nice place to go for the day. Where is it located in Long beach.

IS there Hawaiian Tiki in the museum?

I am sorry I am not here to see this:

This is a free entry event with food and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to celebrate the possibilities of trips to PNG!

I would have liked the opportunity to meet Mr. Mudman and Mr. Wigman