Art
I cherish the friendships I formed in Yap and Guam over the last seven years . Yes , I stirred things up and there are some who tried to get me tossed out of Yap , but there are many more who have quietly thanked me for upsetting the status quo and turning a light on things that they could not without fear of retribution .
and a friendship was formed . Until social media and email made writing and keeping in touch easier , our communication slowed as we got older , but we still felt close .
Over the years we have met perhaps a half dozen times . The most recent was when I took the train from New York City to Charlottesville , Virginia before I joined the Peace Corps and moved to Yap in 2016 . She now lives in Midlothian , Virginia and drove up for the day . Since I ’ m now living in Charlottesville , I ’ m hoping our meetings will become more frequent .
Our lives have been polar opposites , but she remains my one and only sister . She married immediately after college , worked until her first child was born , eventually had two children and is now a grandmother . She led a more traditional life of marriage and family spending vacations at Disneyland in Florida with her grandkids .
I , on the other hand , having spent my childhood and teen years living in several cities and even in Iran at one point , launched into a long career as a single woman in public relations and marketing after college , traveled around the world , and lived in large , metropolitan cities on both coasts .
In like fashion , I cherish the friendships I formed in Yap and Guam over the last seven years . Yes , I stirred things up and there are some who tried to get me tossed out of Yap , but there are many more who have quietly thanked me for upsetting the status quo and turning a light on things that they could not without fear of retribution . In my book , that ’ s one of the many things that friends do . We show up and help each other , sometimes doing what the other can ’ t .
I ’ m looking forward to seeing Sister next year to celebrate our seventh decade of friendship . At this time of year when thanks are given , I am grateful we have come this far as true friends and sisters . May you experience the same bond with your own sister or brother , whether family or friend , throughout your life .
Joyce McClure is a former senior marketing executive and former Peace Corps volunteer in Yap . Transitioning to freelance writing , she moved to Guam in 2021 and recently relocated back to the mainland . Send feedback to joycemcc62 @ yahoo . com
Where stories are carved
Palau ’ s storyboard draws attention Honolulu
Honolulu — The storyboard , a style of Micronesian woodcarving unique to Palau , is being celebrated in Honolulu with an exhibit at the East-West Center Art Gallery .
The exhibit , Storyboards of Palau : Artistry , Influence , Impact , runs from Oct . 29 to Jan . 7 , 2024 . The gallery is adjacent to the University of Hawaii campus and features ongoing changing exhibits on the art of Asia and the Pacific .
The impressive traditional bai meeting house of Palau , whose beams , planks and posts are carved and painted with legends , is the parent of the modern storyboard .
Storyboards are a narrative art form that originated in Palau . Hijikata Hisakatsu , a Japanese anthropologist and artist who was in Palau in the 1930s , was fascinated by the art of the bai and decided to make similar carvings smaller and portable . He formed a guild and organized skilled Palauan carvers to make the smaller boards in the style of the traditional bai beams . It is an art form , inspired by the bai , created by Palauans and is a symbol of Palau .
More than 60 storyboards are on display in the EWC Art Gallery , ranging
The story-telling beams of the traditional meeting house , the bai . The concept of the modern day storyboard is derived from the planks of wood in the bai .
Photos by Margo Vitarelli
By Margo Vitarelli
Darwin Ling Inabo , master storyboard carver as artist-in-residence at East West Center ; Suzanne Puanani Vares- Lum , president of East-West Center ; and Surangel Whipps Jr ., Palau president ; Eric Chang , EWC arts program coordinator .
from the 1940s to the present . The exhibition features boards on loan from the Belau National Museum , Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum , Honolulu Museum of Art , and over 20 private collections .
The show features the work of Palau ’ s original master carvers as well as the modern carvers of today . The history of the storyboard is traced , showing how the art has evolved . Stylistic changes can be seen , from the early boards painted with earth pigments to the plain wood deeply-carved and complex boards of today .
Palauan stories are perpetuated through the storyboards . Although there are hundreds of Palauan legends , only about 30 are depicted on storyboards today . And yet each board is different due to carvers artistically expressing themselves in their own individual ways .
Darwin Inabo , as the artist-in-residence at East-West Center , demonstrated the art of carving to the gallery visitors . The contemporary artwork of Sam Adelbai , Kalany Omengkar , Elsei Tellei , Anthony Watson , and weaver Ruth Truce is also on display . The exhibit was organized and designed by co-curators , Margo Vitarelli and Annie Reynolds . Eric Chang is the arts program manager .
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