Kapa Papale
Reproduction
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Object number6026
TitleKapa Papale
CreatorVerna Apio Takashima
Descriptiontextile/kapa, natural dyes, acrylic paint
Date2024
Material510-weaving
Current locationMS
Dimensions
overall: 8.25 x 13 x 13"
Acquired fromKahilu Theatre, "E Ola Ke Kahua O Ka Hana Kapa," curated exhibition (November 14, 2024 - January 5, 2025)
Credit lineState Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Art in Public Places Collection
Accompanying textNative Hawaiian artist and cultural practitioner Verna Apio Takashima traces her family’s connection to kapa (barkcloth) making across five generations. To create her kapa artwork it takes hundreds of hours to prepare the natural pigments and to beat the wauke (paper mulberry) bark by hand. Kapa Papale was inspired by a combination of traditional Hawaiian woven hats and Victorian-style hats worn by Hawaiian aliʻi in the late nineteenth century.