Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 4, 1 April 1990 — Rare Hawaiian artifacts are on display at Academy of Arts [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Rare Hawaiian artifacts are on display at Academy of Arts

For the first time, approximately 50 rare Polynesian works of art from the Hemmeter Collection will be on public view in "Expressions of Power: The Art of Polynesia — Selections from the Hemmeter Collection." The exhibit opens in the Honolulu Academy of Arts' Focus Gallery April 15 and continues throuoh Mao 13. On Sunday, April 29 from 1 to 5 p.m., a Polynesian festival will take plaee in the courtyards of the Honolulu Academy of Arts featuring Polynesian music, dance, artisans' demonstrations, and a special guided walk through the exihibition. Admission is free. Exhibition pieces date from the 18th to the 19th century and offer a comprehensive view of the arts of all the Polynesian island groups including Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, the Australs, Tubuai, Hawai'i, the Marquesas, the Cook Islands and New Zealand. According to collector Christopher R. Hemmeter, his main interest is in Hawaiian art, well-reflected in the eolleehon whieh contains an extremely important shark's tooth club, plus bowls, a gourd and a lei niho palaoa. Hemmeter began collecting over the last four years initially for the Hemmeter hotel and office complexes. His travels took him oncollecting missions all over the world and his love of tribal art led to his concentration in Oeeanie art. Hemmeter said, "Polynesian art is aesthetically magnificent. It has a sense of power and confidence that especially appeals to me when compared with other arts of the world. It was natural, too, for our corporation to collect Polynesian art. After all, part of our success is owed to the great natural beauty and rich cultural heritage of Hawai'i and the rest of Polynesia." Hemmeter described some of the most significant pieces in his eolleehon: "Since we have begun collecting, we have brought several important works of art back to Hawai'i. The large shark's tooth weapon we acquired last year is a good example. It was collected by Captain Cook on his third voyage. It languished in various collections in England for almost 200 years before we brought it back to Hawai'i. Another example is the rare and beautiful wood dagger from Kaua'i. Only three other examples are known to exist. And we also brought back from England a wonderful decorated gourd water bottle whieh may be the largest example to have survived the past 150 to 200 years." Ā book on the eolleehon, "The Art of Polynesia: Selections from the Hemmeter Collection of Polynesian Art," will be available for purchase in the Academy shop for $45 in hard cover and $24.95 (soft cover).

This rare shark tooth club was collected by Captain Cook on his third voyage. It was brought back from England and may be seen at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, April 15May 13 as part of the Hemmeter Collection.