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Above: Meduuribtal (The Fish Bearing Breadfruit Tree), by Darwin "Ling" Inabo
EWC Gallery Exhibition: October 29, 2023 - January 7, 2024
The vast region of the Pacific Islands is well known for its diverse artistic traditions that utilize natural materials including wood, fiber, shell, feathers, and stone. Yet, unique to Palau, in the western region of Micronesia, a distinctive narrative art form emerged.
In this exhibition, the rich artistic heritage of Palau is explored through the storyboards—planks of wood incised and carved in low-relief that tell a traditional story in pictographic and representational form. The storyboard is an art form embedded in the culture and history of Palau, and reflects the many changes the islands have undergone. Storyboards by Palauan master carvers, past and present, reveal the ingenuity and evolution of the storyboard spanning over 100 years.
The storyboard originated in the Bai (men’s meeting house), one of the most impressive architectural structures of Micronesia. With its powerful construction and ornate designs, the visual richness of the building is distinctive. Decorative and symbolic motifs that tell the stories of Palau are carved into the beams and gables of the Bai, a place where traditional knowledge is passed on.
Modern storyboard by Silverio Rengulbai, on loan from the Belau National Museum
In the 1930s, the narrative pictographs on the Bai were adapted to a new art form and the carvers began producing the original legends onto individual planks of wood. Made portable, these boards could then be transported, given as a gift, or sold. Thus was born today’s storyboard, no longer attached to the Bai, yet still unique to Palau and its identity.
Through their art, the carvers continue to convey the ancient tales of Palau’s heroes, beliefs, and history with pride in their traditions. Palauan storyboards perpetuate elements of traditional culture, while providing an outlet for individual creative expression and a source of income.
The exhibition features storyboards from the Belau National Museum, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu Museum of Art Lending Collection, and many private collections.
Special Events
In the EWC Gallery, free of charge, seating on a first come, first served basis
Sunday, October 29, 1:00–3:00pm
Exhibition Opening Reception including performance, guided exhibition tours with curators, and storyboard carving demonstration
Monday, October 30, Friday, November 3, 2:00–4:00 pm daily
Storyboard Carving Demonstrations by artist-in-residence Darwin "Ling" Inabo
Sunday, November 5, 2:00–3:00 pm
Presentation: How to Carve a Palauan Storyboard by artist-in-residence- Darwin "Ling" Inabo, with introduction by Jerome Feldman, Emeritus Professor of Art History at Hawaiʻi Pacific University
Sunday, December 3, 2:00- 3:15pm
Artist Panel: Traditional Palauan Arts and Stories in Contemporary Contexts with Kalany Omengkar, Elsei Tellei, & Anthony Watson, moderated by curator Margo Vitarelli
Sunday, January 7, 1:00- 3:00pm
ʻOhana Day including family-friendly demonstrations and hands-on activities
East-West Center Gallery
John A. Burns Hall
1601 East-West Road (corner of Dole Street and East-West Road)
Gallery admission is free
Hours: Open Weekdays 9:00 am–5:00 pm and Sundays Noon–4:00 pm
Closed Saturdays and Nov. 10, 22–26, Dec. 24–26, 31, Jan. 1 & 2
Visitor parking on the UH Mānoa campus is normally free and ample on Sundays.
Free school & group tours available.
The EWC Arts Program is supported in part by The Hawaiʻi Pacific Rim Society Hideo Murakami Fund for the Arts, Jean E. Robles, EWC Arts ʻOhana members, Jackie Chan Foundation USA, The Arthur Goodfriend Intercultural Fund, and other generous donors.
Margo Vitarelli, Co-Curator
Darwin "Ling" Inabo, Artist-in-Residence
East-West Center Arts Program
Eric Chang, Arts Program Manager
Annie Reynolds, Exhibitions and Collections Curator
Lynne Najita, Installation Designer
Allan Zablocki, Arts Program Assistant
Above: Meduuribtal (The Fish Bearing Breadfruit Tree), by Darwin "Ling" Inabo
EWC Gallery Exhibition: October 29, 2023 - January 7, 2024
The vast region of the Pacific Islands is well known for its diverse artistic traditions that utilize natural materials including wood, fiber, shell, feathers, and stone. Yet, unique to Palau, in the western region of Micronesia, a distinctive narrative art form emerged.
In this exhibition, the rich artistic heritage of Palau is explored through the storyboards—planks of wood incised and carved in low-relief that tell a traditional story in pictographic and representational form. The storyboard is an art form embedded in the culture and history of Palau, and reflects the many changes the islands have undergone. Storyboards by Palauan master carvers, past and present, reveal the ingenuity and evolution of the storyboard spanning over 100 years.
The storyboard originated in the Bai (men’s meeting house), one of the most impressive architectural structures of Micronesia. With its powerful construction and ornate designs, the visual richness of the building is distinctive. Decorative and symbolic motifs that tell the stories of Palau are carved into the beams and gables of the Bai, a place where traditional knowledge is passed on.
Modern storyboard by Silverio Rengulbai, on loan from the Belau National Museum
In the 1930s, the narrative pictographs on the Bai were adapted to a new art form and the carvers began producing the original legends onto individual planks of wood. Made portable, these boards could then be transported, given as a gift, or sold. Thus was born today’s storyboard, no longer attached to the Bai, yet still unique to Palau and its identity.
Through their art, the carvers continue to convey the ancient tales of Palau’s heroes, beliefs, and history with pride in their traditions. Palauan storyboards perpetuate elements of traditional culture, while providing an outlet for individual creative expression and a source of income.
The exhibition features storyboards from the Belau National Museum, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu Museum of Art Lending Collection, and many private collections.
Special Events
In the EWC Gallery, free of charge, seating on a first come, first served basis
Sunday, October 29, 1:00–3:00pm
Exhibition Opening Reception including performance, guided exhibition tours with curators, and storyboard carving demonstration
Monday, October 30, Friday, November 3, 2:00–4:00 pm daily
Storyboard Carving Demonstrations by artist-in-residence Darwin "Ling" Inabo
Sunday, November 5, 2:00–3:00 pm
Presentation: How to Carve a Palauan Storyboard by artist-in-residence- Darwin "Ling" Inabo, with introduction by Jerome Feldman, Emeritus Professor of Art History at Hawaiʻi Pacific University
Sunday, December 3, 2:00- 3:15pm
Artist Panel: Traditional Palauan Arts and Stories in Contemporary Contexts with Kalany Omengkar, Elsei Tellei, & Anthony Watson, moderated by curator Margo Vitarelli
Sunday, January 7, 1:00- 3:00pm
ʻOhana Day including family-friendly demonstrations and hands-on activities
East-West Center Gallery
John A. Burns Hall
1601 East-West Road (corner of Dole Street and East-West Road)
Gallery admission is free
Hours: Open Weekdays 9:00 am–5:00 pm and Sundays Noon–4:00 pm
Closed Saturdays and Nov. 10, 22–26, Dec. 24–26, 31, Jan. 1 & 2
Visitor parking on the UH Mānoa campus is normally free and ample on Sundays.
Free school & group tours available.
The EWC Arts Program is supported in part by The Hawaiʻi Pacific Rim Society Hideo Murakami Fund for the Arts, Jean E. Robles, EWC Arts ʻOhana members, Jackie Chan Foundation USA, The Arthur Goodfriend Intercultural Fund, and other generous donors.
Margo Vitarelli, Co-Curator
Darwin "Ling" Inabo, Artist-in-Residence
East-West Center Arts Program
Eric Chang, Arts Program Manager
Annie Reynolds, Exhibitions and Collections Curator
Lynne Najita, Installation Designer
Allan Zablocki, Arts Program Assistant