Opening Weekend Events
Sat. & Sun., Feb. 4–5, 2006 10 am – 5 pm

Experience traditional arts brought to life on site at the Burke Museum. More than a dozen Maori artists and local Native weavers will demonstrate their talents throughout the opening weekend of Toi Maori: The Eternal Thread (on exhibit Feb. 4 – May 29). Watch weavers and carvers at work and witness ta moko – the Maori art of skin tattooing. Special lectures and presentations by both Maori and Northwest Coast artists will be featured as well.

Sat., Feb. 4
Demonstrations, 10 am – 5 pm
Maori weavers, carvers, and ta moko (tattoo) artists, and Northwest Coast weavers.

Lecture, 1–2 pm
"Contemporary Maori Art and Culture"
Speaker: Darcy Nicholas, General Manager, Pataka Museum of Arts and Culture, New Zealand

Panel, 3–4:30 pm
Maori and Northwest Coast weavers discuss their art
Moderator: Carol Ivory, Professor of Art History, Washington State University

Sun., Feb. 5
Demonstrations, 10 am – 5 pm
Maori weavers, carvers, and ta moko (tattoo) artists

Presentation, 12:30–1:15 pm
Maori ta moko (tattoo)
Presenters: Derek Lardelli, Wayne Ngata, and Patrick Takoko

Presentation, 2–2:45 pm
Maori carving
Presenters: Jack Brooking and Simon Lardelli

Performance, 3:30–4:15 pm
Maori Haka (chant)
Performers: Derek Lardelli (composer) and others

Mon. – Wed., Feb. 6–8, 2006 10 am – 12 noon
Weaving, carving, and ta moko demonstrations continue.

Toi Maori: The Eternal Thread was organized by the Pataka Museum of Arts and Culture in partnership with Toi Maori Aotearoa (Maori Arts New Zealand) and Te Roopu Ranga Whatu o Aotearoa (Maori Weavers’ Collective of New Zealand). Local sponsors: Air New Zealand; New Zealand Consulate- General, Los Angeles; The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation; Port Blakely Tree Farms, L.P, and Blakely Pacific Ltd. (New Zealand); John and Joyce Price; and the Quest for Truth Foundation.

Supporters: D.V. & Ida McEachern Charitable Trust; Muckleshoot Indian Tribe; Northwest Association of Pacific Americans; Rosemary Horwood Trust; Seattle Christchurch Sister City Association; Suquamish Tribe; and Tulalip Tribes. Special thanks to the University of Washington’s Department of Anthropology, Office of Minority Affairs, Polynesian Student Association, and the Burke Museum’s Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Coast Art for assistance with hosting and publicity. Photo images courtesy of Norman Heke (New Zealand).