07 Sep 2017
Talented and aspiring young Pacific artists will get to learn from leading Pacific heritage arts exponents at the third annual Pacific Heritage Arts Fono to be held in Auckland in November.
Creative New Zealand is supporting the fono as part of its commitment to developing Pacific heritage arts in Aotearoa, which as a Pacific nation has many historical and cultural ties to Polynesia.
“We are thrilled the Pacifica Arts Centre will host this important event in Auckland, which is home to the world’s largest Polynesian population and as such is an important centre for the nurturing of art that celebrates and builds on our Pacific heritage,” said Caren Rangi, Deputy Chair of the Arts Council of New Zealand.
“The fono is an opportunity for us to meaningfully engage with the Pacific arts community and will help us build on our understanding and inform our strategy for supporting Pacific arts.”
With a focus on passing on knowledge to a younger generation of arts practitioners, the theme of the three day fono is Transmission: developing, preserving and passing on Pacific heritage artforms.
This year the fono will include, for the first time, a performance-based evening, a gallery visit to view a Pacific heritage arts exhibition, and a talanoa (conversational sharing session) which is open to the public.
"It will bring together Pacific heritage artists, knowledge-holders, and museum and gallery professionals to share their knowledge and experience," said Jarcinda Stowers-Ama, Director of the Pacifica Arts Centre.
“I’m honoured to be a part of an event that connects Master Pacific heritage artists from across New Zealand. I look forward to the sharing and exchange of knowledge between the artists and the younger generation of future knowledge holders,” she said.
The first two days of the three day event will focus on Pacific heritage arts practitioner participation and on transmitting knowledge to the next generation of arts practitioners at the Pacifica Arts Centre and the neighbouring Corban Estate Arts Centre in Auckland. The final day will include connecting with the Pacific Collection Access project as well as presentations and talanoa at the Auckland War Memorial Museum – Tāmaki Paenga Hira.
About the Pacific Heritage Arts Fono
The Pacific Heritage Arts Fono is a three day event to support the development of Pacific art in Aotearoa. In 2017 it will be hosted by the Pacifica Arts Centre in Auckland from 9-11 November. The fono recieves $50,000 in Creative New Zealand funding annually. It was first hosted by Auckland Museum in 2015. The second fono was hosted by the Pacifica Arts Centre in 2016.
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