Chicago’s Field Museum Sheds Light on Traditional Art of American Samoa

While the Regenstein Halls of the Pacific at Chicago’s Field Museum have long been defined by their extensive Hawaiian collections, a new exhibition is set to broaden the institutional lens. Opening today, Amerika Samoa shifts focus towards the 3,000-year-old traditions of the islands of American Samoa, located in the Polynesia region to the southwest of Hawaii, celebrating a textile and graphic heritage that has endured through centuries of colonial and cultural shift.

The exhibition spotlights two foundational Samoan art forms: siapo mamanu (painted barkcloth) and tatau (tattoo). By exploring the intricate symbolism and techniques behind these practices, the gallery seeks to delineate a continuous lineage of Samoan identity and values.

The project is collaboratively curated by siapo artist and academic Reggie Meredith Fitiao and tatau expert Su’a Uilisone Fitiao. Together the pair co-founded Fa’asamoa Arts, a non-profit studio and gallery based in Leone, American Samoa, dedicated their careers to the preservation and education of indigenous craftsmanship.

“Amerika Samoa nurtures a living culture,” Fitiao said ahead of the show’s opening. “Our people are cared for within every inch of its surrounding shore. There is ancestry, and a rich history that encapsulates it all.”

The exhibition features a siapo mamanu co-created last year during a series of workshops at the museum. The work represents a unique collaboration between Chicago’s Samoan community, museum staff and local visitors, serving as a modern bridge to the past. By juxtaposing this community-led piece with historical siapo from the Field Museum’s permanent collection—ranging from the late 19th century to the present—the exhibition illustrates the enduring vitality of the medium and the “living” nature of the craft.

“It’s a spectacular piece of art that our city can be proud of,” said Ryan Schuessler, the exhibition’s developer. “It’s important for people and communities to be able to represent themselves in museums.

“People are the experts of their own stories. This exhibition was curated by Samoan artists who are also teachers, so it’s an authentic, first-person introduction to Samoan art and culture.”