![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26232251\/PIEAM-4_3197.jpg\")
The PIEAM was founded by Dr. Robert Gumbiner, the namesake for Gumbiner Park that is directly adjacent to the museum. Gumbiner was an avid traveler who made his way to the Pacific islands in the 1960s and became more involved with the island of Guam through business in the \u201870s, where his appreciation for the culture of the islands grew.<\/p>\n
He established a precursor to the PIEAM\u2014the Ethnic Art Institute of Micronesia (EAIM)\u2014on the island of Yap in Micronesia in 1994. The museum had a similar mission to its Long Beach successor: to highlight and revive the traditional art and dance of the Pacific islands. Gumbiner was truly passionate about the subject; he also had a private collection of works occasionally put on display in Long Beach.<\/p>\n
That laid the foundation for the PIEAM. Gumbiner oversaw the initial designs of the Long Beach museum until he died in 2009. The museum opened in October 2010, and Lujan became its curator in 2019.<\/p>\n
The PIEAM highlights communities in the Pacific islands through the promotion of their art and traditions. As the only museum in the continental U.S. to be entirely dedicated to the preservation and amplification of Pacific island art, Lujan feels a unique duty to share her heritage in the most genuine and appreciative way possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I die, I know my ancestors will ask me, \u2018Did you share us?\u2019,\u201d Lujan said.<\/p>\n
While she initially came to the United States for graduate school, she ended up staying longer than expected when her parents got sick. Though she has enjoyed her time in Long Beach, her heart has stayed with her homeland.<\/p>\n
\u201cI probably would be back on the island if it weren\u2019t for my grandchildren,\u201d Lujan said. \u201cI am always a guest here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The museum offers both ancestor pieces and more contemporary pieces, many of which are made by resident artist Jason Pereira. One of the most striking ancestor pieces is a large sail made by the women of Polowat Atoll\u2014an atoll that is part of the Chuuk state in the Federated States of Micronesia and is about 27 times smaller than Catalina Island.<\/p>\n
But other pieces of art, like recreations of traditional pieces such as the tivaevae\u2014traditional quilts made in the Cook Islands\u2014and works inspired by the islands done by Periera, who is Samoan, also do an admirable job paying tribute to the islands and their traditions.<\/p>\n For a small museum like the PIEAM, COVID has been a difficult obstacle to navigate. Even today, as most places have foregone pandemic regulations, the intimate nature of the museum makes strict precautions necessary. Groups of 10 or more are still required to wear masks, no matter what a person\u2019s vaccination status is.<\/p>\n And during the height of the pandemic, the museum had to adapt its material to an online platform.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really learned how to use QR codes,\u201d Lujan said.<\/p>\n The result was \u201cPasifika Transmissions,\u201d an exhibit featuring nine artists indigenous to one of the many Pacific islands. These artists each used a different ancestor piece, ranging from a sling stone from the Mariana Islands to a pahu\u2014a drum-like instrument originating from several Polynesian islands\u2014to inspire their own work.<\/p>\n Treated as a distance-learning program, the artists each recorded a video where they discussed their experiences working with and being inspired by each of these pieces, which was shared on YouTube.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26232241\/PIEAM-2_3263.jpg\")