San Francisco residents who visited the recent Toi Māori exhibition at the de Young Museum remembered the iconic image of the Māori waka under the Golden Gate Bridge in 2005 with Māori Art Meets America.

The exhibition of contemporary Māori art, which includes works for sale from some of Aotearoa’s top Māori artists, is a collaboration between Toi Māori Aotearoa, Pātaka Museum and the de Young Museum.

The three-day event involves an exhibition of tā moko artists, gallery talks, Māori garments presentation and weaving demonstrations. Toi Māori Aotearoa is building on the relationships created in 2005 and opening new markets for Māori artists in America.

Toi Māori Chairperson Waana Davis says the foundations for exhibiting Māori art at the de Young Museum started in 1985 with the Te Māori exhibition.

Director of the de Young Museum John E Buchanan was eager to support the continuation of the link between Māori art and the museum. This was “the first of many projects that will reintroduce Māori back to the museum”, he says.

Toi Māori’s return to San Francisco was also celebrated by the Ohlone Native American tribe, who welcomed the Aotearoa delegation to the de Young Museum.

Aotearoa weaver Kohai Grace was the artist in residence working alongside Native American Mono weavers. “This is an exciting opportunity for me as an artist to share ideas and art forms with other indigenous weavers and also visitors to the museum,” says Kohai Grace.

Darcy Nicholas, Director of Pataka Museum in Porirua, says the event is an important vehicle for promoting the profile of Māori art in the United States.

“We need to nurture the relationships that we have in America. There is a huge interest here in the vitality and quality of Māori art,” he says.