Wa Kuk Wa Jimor (Canoe of One Community)

Contact: Michelle Pedro, Policy Director, Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese

PHONE: (479) 365-6625

EMAIL: mpedro@arkansasmarshallese.org

November 10, 2021

Wa Kuk Wa Jimor/ Canoe of One Community

The Tarmeto Project: Featuring the Making of a Marshallese Traditional Canoe.

Springdale, Arkansas -  October 15th marked the opening ceremony of the Tarmeto (Navigating) Project, a collaborative partnership between ACOM, Crystal Bridges and the artist Kholoud Sawef as part of the Arts + Social Impact Accelerator Program (ASAP). The ASAP program partnerships call for collaborators to work to use arts to elevate social issues in the community.  Carving a canoe and connecting the cultural significance of the canoe to the stories of the Marshallese community navigating their lives in Northwest Arkansas is the objective of this project and partnership.  

The master canoe-carver, Pastor Liton Beasa, and his team of apprentice carvers will be working to carve a traditional Marshallese canoe on the grounds of Crystal Bridges from October 15 through November 19, 2021 (M,T,Th,F from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m). At the conclusion of the carving, there will be a closing ceremony (date forthcoming) open to all community members. The ceremony will include floating the canoe on the pond of Crystal Bridges, Marshallese food vendors, performances and art making. Beginning in early January of 2022 the canoe will be on display in the Crystal Bridges galleries for nine months.  The goal for this project is to share and uplift the Marshallese stories, as this community of new voyagers navigate life in the United States. As the navigators travel to the United States and seek a new life, they are faced with hardships and limited access to resources.  To learn more about the project, please visit the Arts and Social Impact partnerships webpage:

https://crystalbridges.org/community-engagement/art-and-social-impact-accelerator/

And the webpage for the canoe carving program:

https://crystalbridges.org/calendar/wa-kuk-wa-jimor-canoe-of-one-community/

“We are excited to see this project finally coming together.  The canoe is the crucial piece that will connect the story to multiple layers of social impacts.  The goal is to make awareness of the Marshallese community and challenges that are barricades to the community.  We are very excited to share who we are and our own experience living in Arkansas,”  shared Melisa Laelan, Executive Director of the Arkansas Coalition for Marshallese (ACOM).