Manawa: Pacific Heartbeat

Winner of a Choice Magazine 2006 Outstanding Academic Title Award This spectacular collection celebrates contemporary works from 31 Maori and 15 Northwest Coast artists. Building on more than three decades of events, conferences, and artist exchanges that have introduced artists and audiences to the similarities between Maori and Northwest Coast art, Manawa explores the themes of sky, water, and land that are common to both cultures. Featured are works from many renowned artists, including paintings by Robert Davidson and Sandy Adsett, ceramics by Manos Nathan and Wi Taepa, mixed media by Robert Jahnke and Susan Point, weaving by Isabel Rorick and Christina Wirihana, and wood sculptures by Dempsey Bob and Lyonel Grant. There are also many pieces by a new generation of exciting young artists, including wood carvings by Roi Toia, Stan Beven, and Todd Couper, mixed media by Israel Tangaroa Birch, stone sculptures by Lewis Gardiner and Christian White, and glasswork by Preston Singletary. Alongside each work of art is a statement by the artist, providing insight into its origins, ancestry, and genealogy. Also providing context for the art is an introduction by master Maori painter, curator, and writer Darcy Nicholas, which describes the history of New Zealand's contemporary indigenous art movement. An essay by Nigel Reading and Gary Wyatt highlights the importance of cross-cultural projects and argues that they have become the single greatest influence on the evolution of aboriginal art and culture worldwide. Darcy Nicholas is a master Maori painter, curator, and writer who has championed the causes of Maori art since 1966. He is general manager of cultural services for Porirua City, New Zealand. Nigel Reading is a founding partner of the Spirit Wrestler Gallery in Vancouver and is the author of Cape Dorset Sculpture. Gary Wyatt is a curator at the Spirit Wrestler Gallery and author of Spirit Faces: Contemporary Masks of the Northwest Coast and Mythic Beings: Spirit Art of the Northwest Coast.