Te Maori in San Fransisco
It is such a pleasure to think about our permanent connections; rest assured that San Francisco has never been the same after the Dawn Ceremony and opening week of Te Maori. This experience has changed us all and we joyously dig down into our memory banks to celebrate the great good fortune that has brought us together! This photograph, taken by R. Valentine Atkinson, is of me (as a fledgling curator) standing with designers William White (to my right) and Max Chance (to my left), the other gentleman I cannot remember. I am just back from a personal journey to the museums in Aotearoa, taken so I could educate myself about the land, the people, the objects I was to curate in San Francisco. This was the first time I ever met the Meads who kindly invited me, my husband and our two small daughters to stay in their home in their Wellington home and eventually be welcomed on the university marae. What a thrill to gain this glimmer of understanding, and my admiration and love for the people of Aotearoa continues to flourish. Te Maori will always be one of the great professional highlights of my life as a curator. The challenges and experiences brought by Te Maori have enriched my life as a curator or caretaker for objects that are living and sacred. Kathleen Berrin |
