City Libraries, City of Gold Coast

Plumes and pearlshells, the art of the New Guinea highlands, edited by Natalie Wilson, with contributions by Chris Boylan, Barry Craig, Kerry Head, Florence Kamel, Michael A Mel, Trevor Shearston, Akii Tumu, Polly Wiessner and Lucy Willet

eng

Includes bibliographic references (pages 155-157) and index

contains biographical information

government publication of a state province territory dependency etc

portraitsillustrations

index present

non fiction

Plumes and pearlshells

catalogsbibliography

edited by Natalie Wilson, with contributions by Chris Boylan, Barry Craig, Kerry Head, Florence Kamel, Michael A Mel, Trevor Shearston, Akii Tumu, Polly Wiessner and Lucy Willet

the art of the New Guinea highlands

The peoples of the New Guinea highlands are renowned for their spectacular ceremonies, which involve hundreds of dancers festooned with elaborate body adornments, including highly prized Bird of Paradise plumes and the revered kina, or pearlshell. Appreciating the sophistication and sheer beauty of these objects, Sydney businessman Stanley Gordon Moriarty assembled one of the finest collections of highlands material culture during his travels there between 1961 and 1972. Among these were exquisitely constructed headdresses, arm- and leg-bands, ear- and nose-rings and necklaces, made of feathers, shell, barkcloth, animal and plant fibres and natural pigments. This exhibition presents highlights from this extraordinary collection of body art, now held by the Art Gallery of NSW, as well as other superb pieces used in rituals, for war and in everyday life, including rare gourd masks, painted shields, carved spears and arrows, woven and carved figures, knotted and looped textiles, and elaborately constructed dance masks

Foreword / Andrew Moutu -- Foreword / Michael Brand -- Plumes and pearlshells: the shows of the New Guinea highlands / Natalie Wilson -- The art and culture of the New Guinea highlands / Michael A Mel -- Bilum meri, bilum woman / Florence Kamel -- The Moriarty legacy: collecting New Guinea highlands art / a conversation between Chris Boyland, Simon Moriarty and Natalie Wilson -- The works / focus essays by Chris Boylan, Barry Craig, Trevor Shearston, Akii Tumu, Polly Wiessner and Natalie Wilson -- Approaches to the conversation of art from the New Guinea highlands / Kerry Head and Lucy Willet -- Notes -- Selected bibliography -- List of works -- Map of the New Guinea highlands -- Acknowledgments -- Index

adult

Art of the New Guinea highlands