Maori Art and Design: Weaving, Painting, Carving and Architecture

For early Maori, art was inseparable from daily life, whether it was the pattern on a sculpted spade handle or the magnificently carved prow of a war canoe. Julie Paama-Pengelly traces the evolution of art and design in historic Maori culture and brings that art to life, focusing on four major disciplines: weaving and fibre arts; painting and pigmentation; sculpture and carving; architecture and structural arts. Illustrated tables outline development periods, design conventions, and common figurative elements and motifs that distinguish Maori art and design. This book will be of great interest to readers who are new to the subject as well as to students and experts. Foreword by Professor Robert Jahnke, Chair and Head of Te Putahi a Toi at Massey University.

Author Biography

Julie Paama-Pengelly is of Ngai Te Rangi (Bay of Plenty) descent and is an artist, writer and educator of contemporary Maori arts. She holds a Masters of Development Studies, a Masters (Honours) in Maori Visual Arts, and is writing her PhD in Fine Arts through Massey University. Julie lives with her family in Ohope.