'Maori Art Meets America' tomorrow

Twenty years on from the successful Te Maori exhibition Maori culture is again about to tour America.

A party of more than 50 leading Maori artists and dignitaries will launch - Toi Maori: 'Maori Art Meets America' - in San Francisco tomorrow.

The exhibition of the cream of Maori art, including weaving, carving, ta moko and kapa haka performances, runs for 10 days.

A team of Maori warriors will launch the event, paddling the waka - Te Ika a Maui - into the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

The launch includes the exchange of gifts between the Maori Queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, and the local Ohlone Native American tribe.

Toi Maori Aotearoa general manager Garry Nicholas said the exhibition was designed to share the Maori culture, and to strengthen the bonds and support formed through the Te Maori exhibition.

The event is a joint venture between Toi Maori Aotearoa, Maori Arts New Zealand, and Tourism New Zealand, with support from Air New Zealand.

The Te Maori exhibition ran between 1984 to 1986 and received critical acclaim throughout its American tour.

It was credited with lifting Maori profile around the world, and with raising the status and appreciation of Maori art in the West.