#siapo

Happy Mother's Day

#urbannesian #mothersday #mom #tapa #siapo #ngatu #masi #hiapo #pasifika #pacificislander

Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month is here, and we are celebrating our sanctuaries’ unique historic and cultural identities. The Siapo (or Tapa) is one of the oldest art forms in Polynesia, and each design motif is a symbol originating from Samoa’s natural environment. The Siapo shown here was created for National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa by the Samoan artist Reggie Meredith, using a traditional Siapo mamanu form. The sanctuary's visitor center, the Tauese P.F. Sunia Ocean Center, is octagonal in shape to match this Siapo’s eight sections (or motifs). 

Get this UrbanNesian Grey Siapo design on various goodies at ShopUrbanNesian.com. You can also take 40% off everything until April 4.

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Check out the new UrbanNesian Black and Gold Siapo design available in bags, home decor, pillows & bedding, stationary items and more at https://society6.com/urbannesian (Link in Bio)

To find new designs on the site, follow the link https://society6.com/urbannesian, click filter, Sort By, New! Or if you're looking to find a particular item, you can filter by Department or Product.

Excited to announce that I have various UrbanNesian print Wrapping Paper available at https://society6.com/urbannesian (Link in Bio)

The wrapping paper is also 20% off today! #UrbanNesian

As a DIY for Graduations, Weddings, or Parties, use wrapping paper to add a little bit of Polynesian design to your table setting and buffet by wrapping around votives or vases.

Samoa, Tapa or Siapo cloth, 20th century, bark and pigment

The Tapa is a unique style of printed work that brings forth ideas rooted in the artistic traditions of the South Pacific. Measuring in up to 60 meters long, the cloth is usually made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree. The bark is soaked, beaten to a pulp, and fused together, giving it a paper-like quality. The cloth is then laid over a drum that is covered in stencils and paint is dabbed onto the cloth leaving the imprint of the images on the cloth. These stencils are generally reused from cloth to cloth in a similar fashion that printmakers in Europe and Asia reuse their images to create multiple copies. After the images are printed on the cloth, painters fill in areas they wish to be darker by hand, completing the cloth. Traditionally this cloth is made for royalty and only on special occasions and the symbols are reflective of the power of the leader. This work presents a different perspective when considering printed works and is noteworthy because it requires that we broaden our understanding of a particular art form. The Tapa represents an approach to printmaking that mixes aesthetics with symbolism and function in a way that qualifies it as a meaningful part of global prinaking traditions.

Date: early 20th century

Medium: Barkcloth, pigment

Dimensions: 

H x W: 55 x 45 in. (139.7 x 114.3 cm)

Location: The Met

Accession Number: 1978.412.1702