The daily Astorian., May 07, 2015, Image 22

CULTURAL
EXCHANGE
Clatsop Community College has invited six indigenous Maori clay
artists from New Zealand to share their art and culture with the Astoria
community in ‘Uku-Aotearoa: The Spirit of Materials’
A
Story by DWIGHT CASWELL
“Whakahono 4” from the “Hineukurangi Series” by Carla Ruka, a contemporary Maori clay sculptor. Her inspiration and ideas descend from
her ancestors.
All six are considered among the best ceramic artists in
New Zealand, and together they represent a range of
tribes, ages, styles and personal experiences.
12 | May 7, 2015 | coastweekend.com
wharenui, the communal meetinghouse of the Maori people
of New Zealand, is the focal point of a marae, a place sacred
to the people. Everything about and within the wharenui
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ture, home to all the ancestors, both human and non-hu-
man, back to the beginning of time.
“The ridge beam is the backbone,” Miki’ala Sou-
za, a Hawaiian indigenous artist living in Astoria,
explains. “The rafters are the ribs, and the weav-
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posts are carved by the men, and the weavings hung between
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Richard Rowland, Clatsop Community College ceram-
ics instructor and also a Hawaiian indigenous artist, explains
that the carvings of the ancestors are arranged in their correct
places, according to where they came from. “Everything
was considered,” Rowland says of the wharenui. “Local ma-
terials, landmarks, the environment, the designs. There is an
incredible sense of intention in the longhouse.” To walk into
a wharenui, he says, “is like going to a family reunion. All
the people are there, including the ancestors, and everything
is alive. Everything has a soul, a spirit. Western culture has
no sense of ancestral integration like that.”
Rowland has been participating in the activities of the
Polynesian indigenous community for 30 years, which led
to a visit to his anagama Dragon Kiln by Maori artists. This
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change at the CCC Art Gallery.
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ering to share stories and to create artwork together. In 2014,
Rowland and Souza were two of 145 artists present for the
seventh International Indigenous Artists Gathering held in
Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand). Rowland
says, “It was an honor to be there, to hear people tell the
stories of their lives.”
Six of the artists at that gathering will now present their
work in Astoria, at an event that is both cultural exchange and
art exhibition. “Uku-Aotearoa: The Spirit of Materials” opens
at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 7 at the CCC Art Gallery. Clay is
“uku” in the Maori language, and the living spirit of uku will
be on display, expressed through the work of six Maori ceram-
ic artists, who refer to themselves less formally as “muddies.”
Dorothy Waetford’s early career began as a
performing artist as a member of the contem-
porary Maori dance company Taiao, based in
Auckland, New Zealand. Excited by develop-
ments in the contemporary Maori art scene,
her interest led her to choosing clay as a pre-
ferred medium for art making.
Rowland explains that Maori artists are “like any other artist, but more
of a collective. Their work is representative of who they are as an individual,
and who they are as a culture.” Master Maori artists are the elders in what
is, essentially, a family of apprentices whom they mentor. “When I am with
them,” Rowland says, “I feel like I’m with family. I’m blessed.”
One of the artists in the exhibit, Colleen Waata-Urlich, is an elder, one of
THE EXHIBIT
those who visited the Dragon Kiln. This early meeting was the beginning of
a lasting friendship and a direct relationship between not only Rowland and
Welcoming reception
the two artists, but also the Maori and Northwest art communities
6 p.m. Thursday, may 7
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CCC Art Center Gallery
Waata-Urlich and another elder, Baye Riddell. All six are considered among
the best ceramic artists in New Zealand, and together they represent a range
1799 Lexington Ave., Astoria
of tribes, ages, styles and personal experiences. All show a dedication to
Maori artists will share their
their indigenous heritage and the responsibilities that come with that lineage.
connections
to their work and its
“It’s hard to emphasize how incredible this is,” says Souza, “Everyone
surrounding
mythological and
is involved, working with the earth, coming from this place of humility and
historical origins.
love. In English ‘responsibility’ has a negative connotation of duty, obliga-
tion, a burden. As a Hawaiian, when I speak of a responsibility to my culture
PUBLIC PRESENTATION
it means to respect or to take care of something.”
6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 8
In the cultural exchange events held over the past 20 years, the artists,
CCC Performing Arts Center
although from different regions, have found that as indigenous artists they
have many themes in common. Dorothy Waetford, one of the artists coming
588 16th St., Astoria
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CCC
Writing
Instructor Nancy Cook
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and restore the well-being of ourselves and in turn, our indigenous commu-
nities.”
Waetford feels that one thing indigenous artists have in common, “is the
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munity and the responsibility one has for the land is a common issue for
indigenous peoples, and a theme for many artists. It is an idea that may
serve as a common point around which visitors and locals will begin their
dialogue in this cultural exchange.
“Uku-Aotearoa: The Spirit of Materials” is more than an art exhib-
it. There will be a full calendar of lectures, workshops, discussions, and a
“Maori Cultural Experience” for local art students. The connections made
during these collaborative gatherings are, Rowland says, “a weaving togeth-
er like the weavings in the longhouse.”
Rowland says he is, “challenged to advocate for indigenous peoples.
This is so organic, supportive and creative. It creates a kind of generosity
that moves forward.”
As Colleen Waata-Urlich puts it, “Firm friendships are formed during
these cross-cultural exchanges and should not be underestimated. You don’t
go to war against friends. There needs to be more understanding of one an-
other internationally. In our own small way as artists, we are contributing to
“Pacific Jug” by Colleen Waata Urlich.
that understanding.”
Colleen Waata Urlich, who is leading the trav-
eling Maori collective with Baye Riddell, has
been sculpting, molding and nurturing Maori
art for years. She is a Maori clay artist and se-
nior foundation member of the national body
‘Uku-Aotearoa: The Spirit of Materials’
will lead artists in a discussion ex-
amining critical issues surround-
ing cultural landscape, collective
and individual vision, and the
value of myth and memory. Music
by Al Perreira . Hula dance by
Ilikea Aguiar-Galloway
HANDS-ON CLAY WORKSHOPS
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, May 8
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, may 9
CCC Art Center Ceramics Studio
1799 Lexington Ave., Astoria
Seating is limited
Submitted photos
“Tall Hinaki 4,” from the 2007 “Kapowai Series: Dragon Fly Lake” by Colleen Waata Urlich.
Contact rrowland@clatsopcc.edu
“Aniwaniwa” by Todd Douglas, who is a fulltime ceramic artist living and working at Muriwai Beach. Douglas uses a
broad range of ceramic techniques and surface treatments as well as combines materials such as clay, wood, lashing
and LED lighting. “As soon as I touched clay, I was hooked,” he said. “Bringing together the four elements — fire,
earth, air and water, clay is like no other material. It has fascinating physical properties such as its malleability, but
it also has many cultural and spiritual significances.”
May 7, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 13