"Spirit and Identity: Melanesian Works from the Hofstra University Museum Collections" Exhibition

Curated by collections manager Kristy L. Caratzola of the Hofstra University Museum, this
exhibition showcases an extraordinary aspect of the HUM collections for the
first time.  The original exhibit offers
a range of ethnographic artworks and objects created by members of the distinct
regional communities of Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea, New Britain, Vanuatu, and
the Kiriwina Islands located in the South Pacific.  The selected works center upon ancestral
figures, ceremonial masks, warrior shields, and ritualized practical objects
crafted from natural materials sourced from sacred sites within the territory of
each individual culture.  The exhibit
also includes sophisticated wooden sculptures carved and painted by revered
artists, which serve to express complex ideological beliefs through stylized
human and animal forms complemented with colorful, abstracted geometric
designs.  The vital connection between
humans and ancestral spirits and their active role in providing guidance and
protection is an essential concept shared among many Oceanic cultures and is a
defining characteristic of Melanesian art.