Your Last Chance to See Gauguin & Polynesia!

The landmark show Gauguin & Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise at the Seattle Art Museum closes Sunday, April 29! SAM will be open extended hours the final week of the show, April 23-29 from 10 am – 9 pm. The museum will also host the following events:

  • April 24: A Night at the Museum with KING 5
    Enjoy a cash bar, photo booth, giveaways and the chance to meet KING 5 personalities, including Jesse Jones, Jim Dever and Tracy Taylor. This fun event is free and open to the public! RSVP>>
  • April 27: South Seas Dreams: Tahiti as a Cinematic Paradise 
    In Oviri (The Wolf at the Door), Donald Sutherland gives a passionate portrayal of Gauguin. Get ticket info>>
  • April 28 & 29: Tahitian Dancing and Drumming 
    Enjoy Tahitian dancing and drumming brought to you by Te Fare O Tamatoa and their performance group Te’a rama. Be prepared to experience a Marquesan haka (a Polynesian traditional welcome) followed by additional performances. Watch a preview>>
On April 28 and April 29 at the Seattle Art Museum, enjoy Tahitian dancing and drumming brought to you by Te Fare O Tamatoa and their performance group Te’a rama.

Photo by Dan Bennett

Gauguin & Polynesia at the Seattle Art Museum is the only U.S. stop for the exhibition. Don’t miss your chance to see Gauguin’s brilliantly hued paintings, sculptures and works on paper, which are displayed alongside major examples of Polynesian art. Reserve your tickets online now>>

-Madeline Moy, Digital Media Manager

Top photo: Reclining Tahitian Women (The Amusement of the Evil Spirit) Arearea no varua ino, 1894, Paul Gauguin, French, 1848-1903, oil on canvas, 23 5/8 x 38 9/16 in., Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, Photo: Ole Haupt

Experience the Art and Culture of French Polynesia at Community Day on March 10

Join us at SAM Downtown on Saturday, March 10 for a fun-filled celebration of French Polynesian art and culture that the whole family can enjoy.

The first 400 people in line at Hammering Man at 10 am will receive free tickets to Gauguin & Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise! These are timed tickets, which means that they are for various time slots throughout the day. Please proceed to the Gauguin & Polynesia gallery entrance on the 4th floor 10–15 minutes prior to the time listed on your ticket.

Community Day activities include art making, tours, dancing and live music.

  • Experience the power and beauty of Tahitian dancing and drumming performances by Te’a rama, including a Marquesan haka (a Polynesian traditional welcome) with performances at 10:30 am and 1:45 pm in South Hall, and 11 am and 2 pm in the Plestcheef Auditorium.
  • Enjoy French café music by Rouge in South Hall at 12:30 pm.
  • Participate in all day art making activities will include: paper leis, Polynesian-inspired printmaking, tiki masks, mixed media postcards, and landscape pastels.

-Madeline Moy, Digital Media Manager

Photo Credit: Dan Bennett

Gauguin & Polynesia Opening Weekend Activities

Saturday, February 11
Celebrate the opening of Gauguin and Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise at SAM with Tahitian dancing and drumming brought to you by Te Fare O Tamatoa and their peformance group Te’a rama! Be prepared to experience a Marquesan haka (a Polynesian traditional welcome)  followed by additional performances.

Contours will be onsite providing temporary Polynesian-inspired tatoos to kids, teens and adults.

  • Polynesian temporary tattoos, 11 am–3 pm
  • Te Fare O Tamatoa Presents: Tahitian Drumming and Dancing by the Te’a rama performance group
    Haka (welcome and call to performance) in Brotman Forum at 11:30 am & 3 pm
    -Performance in Plestcheeff Auditorium at noon & 3:30 pm

Te’a rama in action!

Sunday, February 12
The excitement surrounding the arrival of Gauguin and Polynesia to SAM, the only U.S. stop, continues with a special Tahitian concert performance by Halau Hula O Napualani & Kohala. Get a Polynesian-inspired temporary tattoo from Contours, who will be onsite from 11 am–3 pm.

  • Polynesian temporary tattoos, 11 am–3 pm
  • Halau Hula O Napualani and Koahala (Polynesian dance performance), in Brotman Forum at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm

And be sure to check out the traditional Polynesian welcome flower arrangement in Sarkowsky Hall.

Traditional Polynesian floral display at the Seattle Art Museum in celebration of the exhibition "Gauguin & Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise," on view from February 9-April 29, 2012

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