Micronesian Arts & Crafts on Display in Winter Park, Florida

Twenty minutes northeast of Orlando, the Albin Polasek Museum in Winter Park Florida is hosting “Island Objects,” an exhibit of archaeological materials and historical items from the Pacific Islands of Micronesia.

It showcases traditional culture and illustrate the ways it has adapted to external societal forces through periods of Spanish, German, Japanese, and American occupation. The exhibit was curated by Barbara Wavell, an anthropologist and author of Arts & Crafts of Micronesia.

A broad range of objects are represented in the exhibit including carved wooden figures and storyboards, intricately patterned fans, human statuary, navigation charts, and woven clothing and adornments.

Donations Enroute: Woven Hand Fans of Micronesia

Habele is proud to be sending copies of Barbara B. Wavell's newest book, Woven Hand Fans of Micronesia, to libraries in Palau, FSM and the Marshall Islands.

Woven hand fans are an integral part of life in the far flung islands of Micronesia where the use of plant fibers to produce woven products constitutes a major cultural and economic resource.

Wavell’s work documents styles of hand fans from some of the world's most remote islands including Chuuk, Kiribati, Kosrae, Pohnpei and the Marshall Islands. While each island likely had their own unique fan styles, new techniques developed and spread in the historic context of the 20th century where successive occupations by the Germans, Japanese and Americans influenced the production of woven fans.

Accompanied by over 60 illustrations mostly in color, this work is useful guide to anyone who has an interest in the rich and varied creativity of these exotic islands.