2025: Year in Review

2025: A Year in Review – Twenty Years of Living Knowledge (2006–2025)

Executive Summary

2025 marked twenty years of the Tiapapata Art Centre as a charitable trust and affirmed its role as a living knowledge institution where art, heritage practice, and community learning converge. Over two decades, the Centre has evolved into a distinctive learning ecosystem where creative practice, heritage knowledge, ecological awareness, youth development, and international cultural exchange intersect.

Throughout 2025, the Art Centre continued to deliver a wide range of programmes combining hands-on artistic practice, cultural heritage revitalisation, and community engagement. Art education remained central to the Centre’s mission, with ongoing studio programmes for children, youth, and adults led by Director of Art Programmes Wendy Percival. Alongside these activities, artists-in-residence, visiting practitioners, and volunteers contributed to a dynamic creative environment that supported experimentation across ceramics, papermaking, printmaking, music, 202 and performance.

A defining theme of the year was the Centre’s emphasis on critical heritage knowledges—approaching heritage not as static objects preserved in isolation, but as living practices transmitted through relationships, materials, and place. Workshops, talanoa sessions, and collaborative research activities supported the revitalisation of endangered craft traditions including canoe-building, blacksmithing, pottery using wild clay, siapo, lure-making, and the playing and crafting of the fagufagu (nose flute). These activities brought together master practitioners, apprentices, researchers, and community participants, demonstrating how heritage knowledge can be regenerated through practice and intergenerational exchange.

The Centre’s regional and international profile strengthened significantly during the year through media coverage, visiting artists, diplomatic engagement, and academic collaboration. A major milestone was the securing of an international documentation grant through the British Museum’s Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP) in partnership with the University of St Andrews, positioning the Art Centre within a global research network focused on endangered craft knowledge.

Digital heritage initiatives also expanded through photogrammetry, virtual tours, and emerging 3D documentation projects linked to the developing Museums in the Metaverse platform.

A major strand of activity in early 2025 was the ACP–EU supported Living Monuments project, which positioned the Art Centre at the forefront of community-led archaeological and heritage practice in the Pacific. A defining moment occurred in May 2025 with the opening of access to the Tia Seulupe pigeon-snaring mound at Pōtini, Sa‘anapu, demonstrating how monumental heritage can be documented, interpreted, and shared through collaboration between custodians, communities, and digital technologies.

Infrastructure developments during the year further strengthened the Centre’s capacity as a cultural hub. These included the establishment of a Paper Arts Studio, the opening of Kalika Dojo as a space for martial arts and youth wellbeing, the creation of a small museum space, and the development of a blacksmithing workshop supporting the production of traditional woodworking tools. Construction also commenced on new accommodation for visiting artists and volunteers—known as the Tall House—reflecting the growing scale of international engagement and the Centre’s expanding artist residency programme. Taken together, the achievements of 2025 affirm the Tiapapata Art Centre’s role as a living knowledge institution—a place where art, heritage, environmental knowledge, and community learning are practiced, researched, and renewed. As the Centre enters its third decade as a charitable trust, it continues to demonstrate how local cultural practice can engage with global networks while remaining firmly grounded in Samoan values, relationships to land and ocean, and the authority of community knowledge.

1. Introduction

Operating as a place of learning since 1989, the Tiapapata Art Centre was established as a charitable trust in 2006 to advance arts and crafts education, skills training, cultural life, and sustainable livelihoods in Samoa. The Trust Deed sets out charitable purposes that remain clearly visible in 2025: providing skills training through courses and workshops; fostering arts and crafts as income generation; promoting natural and traditional materials; restoring crafts that are no longer widely practiced; collaborating with educational institutions and organisations; contributing to Samoa’s cultural life; encouraging exchange of concepts and techniques; and supporting the exhibition and sale of arts and crafts.

In its twentieth year as a charitable trust, the Centre’s uniqueness lies in how these purposes are enacted: heritage is approached through critical heritage knowledges—recognizing that knowledge lives in hands, materials, language, memory, and relationships to land and ocean. In 2025, this approach shaped every major activity, from endangered craft revitalization to digital documentation, from youth apprenticeship to public events and international partnerships.

2. Cultural Regeneration | Critical Heritage Knowledges in Practice

Much of the work in 2025 moved beyond “safeguarding” into cultural regeneration: creating conditions where endangered practices could be relearned, re-made, and re-valued within community life. Through workshops, exhibitions, and hands-on learning, the Centre supported the return of knowledge that had become fragmented through modernization, material substitution, and disrupted apprenticeship pathways.

This year’s programmes demonstrated how heritage is inseparable from ecology and ethics. Reviving a craft often meant reviving the materials and the language embedded in practice: the sourcing of fibres, clays, woods, and pigments; the re-learning of tools and methods; and the reactivation of the stories, proverbs, and terms that carry meaning and nuance. In this way, work contributed to cultural continuity while also modelling sustainable, place-based learning.

The Living Monuments project exemplified this regenerative approach at a monumental scale. Rather than treating stone structures as inert archaeological objects, the project worked with custodians, elders, and communities to understand monuments as living places embedded in genealogy, land tenure, spirituality, and historical memory. Through drone survey, photogrammetry, GIS mapping, and 3D modelling — undertaken alongside oral histories and local interpretation — the project demonstrated how critical heritage knowledges can bridge Indigenous authority and contemporary technology without displacing either.

3. Time-Sequenced 2025 Activity Narrative

The following narrative summarizes key activities across 2025 in approximate chronological order, integrating studio work, public programmes, workshops, residencies, visits, media moments, and institutional developments.

January–March 2025

Early 2025 continued the Centre’s rhythm of community learning and cultural programming. Cooking classes for children were held in January, and the film programme included Mr. Blake (February). Artist-in-residence Lisa Rave (Cultural Vistas programme, Germany), who arrived in September 2024, concluded her residency at the end of January 2025. During her time at the Centre she co-hosted the screening of Dahomey, a poetic and immersive work exploring questions of cultural restitution, appropriation, and self-determination.

Swedish ceramic artists Helena Andreeff-Laurin and Staffan Laurin continued an extended residency that began in December 2024 and ran through 27 March 2025, contributing knowledge to clay research and studio development while building relationships with local practitioners and learners.

February was an especially active month. On 5 February 2025, the Centre welcomed internationally recognised chef Monica Galetti, who participated in an ʻafa (coconut sennit) workshop and shared a meal at the Centre’s café. The visit provided an opportunity to demonstrate Samoan fibre knowledge, culinary culture, and the Centre’s holistic approach to cultural practice.  

A major milestone followed on 10 February 2025, when Kalika Dojo officially opened with the first Judo class for children (above).

The Dojo created a new space within the complex for martial arts training, youth wellbeing, and community development, linking physical discipline with social resilience.

At roughly the same time, the Paper Arts Studio shown above was opened, expanding sustainability practices through paper recycling, papermaking, and environmental education. Early visitors included SIT Study Abroad students on 22 February 2025, and a CSSP team visit with Trond Norheim (Scanteam) on 24 February 2025, reflecting growing interest in the Art Centre as a site of applied learning and cultural exchange.

In March 2025, Galumalemana travelled to Tasmania to participate in the Ten Days on the Island festival, strengthening cultural exchange links between Samoa and Australia.

April–May 2025

The months of April and May marked an important moment in the Centre’s cultural and international profile.

Artists-in-residence Caitlin Moloney and Matt Sephton joined the Centre from April to June 2025. Matt Sephton also performed at the Little Gallery Concert celebrating International Jazz Day on 30 April 2025, alongside Tauʻiliʻili Alpha Maiava who played the fagufagu or nose flute. The event connected Tiapapata to the global International Jazz Day network, which hosts more than 1,000 events annually across nearly 200 countries.

Following the celebration, Galumalemana received a formal letter of appreciation from Herbie Hancock, writing on behalf of UNESCO and the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, thanking the Art Centre for its contribution to the global celebration and its promotion of dialogue, unity, and freedom of expression through music.

During May 2025, a small museum space was opened within the Gallery, strengthening the Centre’s capacity to curate and interpret cultural materials locally. On 20 May 2025, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Culture and museum staff from Te Papa Tongarewa visited the Centre, reinforcing institutional partnerships and recognising Tiapapata’s growing role in heritage stewardship.

This period also marked a major milestone in the ACP–EU Living Monuments project. In May 2025, in collaboration with custodians and the village of Saʻanapu, the Centre supported the opening of access to the Tia Seulupe pigeon-snaring mound at Pōtini, one of Samoa’s most significant monumental stone structures. The opening followed extensive documentation using drones, photogrammetry, and GIS mapping, combined with community consultation and traditional knowledge.

Also arriving from Australia at the end of May were Domas Rukas, a wood carver and blacksmith, Gabrielle, a ceramic artist, and their daughter Ula. Domas built a forge during his residency, a lasting and valuable addition to the activities of the Art Centre.

June–August 2025

The mid-year period saw continued residency activity, public programmes, and cultural events.

Ceramic artist Myriam Goos (New Zealand) began a residency on 30 May 2025, continuing through 1 September 2025. Her work contributed to pottery research and studio development.

Film and cultural evenings remained popular community gatherings. A highlight was the Japanese film night and dinner A Handful of Salt on 12 July 2025, attended by distinguished guests including Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa, Japanese Ambassador H.E. Ryotaro Suzuki, and the French Ambassador H.E. Guillaume Lemoine.

On 14 August 2025, the Centre hosted another Little Gallery Concert, “Resonance Music,” featuring internationally renowned harpist Natalia Mann, who is of Samoan heritage, and Australian flautist Georgina Gwatkin-Higson. Georgina’s residency also included drama sessions for children, demonstrating how artist residencies frequently translate into educational outcomes for local youth.

Later in August, Sybille Schlumbom undertook a residency connected with a Mokuhanga woodblock printing workshop, further expanding the Centre’s printmaking activities.

During this period preparations also began for Tiapapata’s participation in the opening of the Waste Management Education Centre, where recycled materials and handmade paper artworks would be presented as examples of circular creative practice.

Through much of 2025, the Art Centre also benefited from the regular presence of Olivia de Saint Luc, artist and spouse of the French Ambassador to Samoa. Since arriving in Samoa in early 2025, she has developed a close working relationship with the creative team. Olivia spend much of her time working in the Paper Arts Studio alongside paper maker and fibre artist Awal Mohammed. She helped with the making of books destined for the Waste Management Education Centre. Experimenting with natural fibres and colourants, she has created a number of refined works that are now exhibited in the Gallery. She also assisted with the painting of patterns on ceramic pieces, working alongside Wendy, Helena and Staffan in the pottery studio. Her engagement reflects the Art Centre’s ability to foster informal yet meaningful creative exchanges, where visiting artists and members of the diplomatic community participate directly in studio practice and contribute to the Centre’s evolving artistic environment.

September–December 2025

The final quarter of 2025 was characterised by international engagement, heritage revitalisation workshops, and policy dialogue.

In September 2025, Galumalemana travelled to the United Kingdom in connection with the British Museum Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP) project. The visit included meetings, research planning, and digital heritage collaboration associated with the emerging Museums in the Metaverse initiative at the University of Glasgow.

Later in September he presented at the regional conference “Na Vuku ni Vanua: Charting Our Cultural Destiny – Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge Conference” hosted by Fiji National University, contributing Samoan perspectives to regional discussions on Indigenous knowledge systems.

From September through November, the UNESCO-supported Upu ma Tala – Heritage Talanoa Series became the central programme at the Art Centre. Workshops and talanoa sessions focused on endangered knowledge systems including fagufagu (nose flute), pā-alo-atu fishing lures, ʻafa sennit making, canoe carving for the palolo rise, siapo production, and pottery using wild clay.

A blacksmithing workshop was also established during this period to support the forging of chisels and adzes required for traditional woodworking and canoe construction. Artist-in-residence Domas Rukas and ceramic artist Gabrielle Rukas contributed to the development of this forge. The series culminated on 10 December 2025 (Human Rights Day) with a public Heritage Talanoa linking cultural revitalisation to cultural rights and community access to heritage.

In December 2025, Galumalemana also contributed graphic design expertise to the development of Samoa’s Roadmap to Health (2025–2028). During discussions on the project, the Prime Minister acknowledged the Art Centre’s role in cultural education and requested a selection of artworks and publications for display in his office. These materials were delivered on Christmas Eve 2025 and were later displayed in kin his office behind his desk.

Around the same period, Tiapapata presented recycled-material artworks and handmade paper at the opening of the Waste Management Education Centre, including jewellery created by artist-in-residence Eleni Timoteo.

4. Public Programmes: Film, Music, Exhibitions, and Tours

The Centre’s public programme in 2025 continued to blend contemporary cultural programming with heritage learning. Film evenings included “Mr. Blake,” “Dahomey,” “The Idol,” “The Lunchbox,” and “A Handful of Salt.” The “The Idol” screening was paired with an Arabian dinner led by volunteer Gina Bahri (Australia; Lebanese descent), who trained kitchen staff in Lebanese/Arabian dishes, demonstrating how cultural programming can become a form of skill-sharing.

Music events included International Jazz Day and the “Resonance Music” concert. The only major exhibition, “Touched by 4,” featured the works of Wendy Percival, Awal Mohammed, and Swedish artists Helena Andreeff-Laurin and Staffan Laurin.

Throughout the year, the Centre hosted tour groups and educational visits, supporting cultural exchange and awareness-building.

5. Infrastructure and Capacity Building

2025 saw several infrastructure developments that expand Tiapapata’s long-term capacity. The Paper Arts Studio (above), Kalika Dojo and Blacksmithing Shed established new learning spaces that integrate environmental education and youth wellbeing. The creation of a small museum space strengthened local curation and interpretation. The Centre also commenced work in September 2025 on a new house for visiting artists and volunteers, recognizing the growing scale of international engagement.

6. Media, Visibility, and Public Discourse

Tiapapata’s 2025 activities were amplified through national and regional media. Coverage included Samoa Observer features on the Dojo opening, International Jazz Day, heritage tool-making and pā-alo-atu lures, canoe building for palolo, blacksmithing, pottery, and the Waste Management Education Centre. Regional coverage included ABC Radio Australia interviews and stories that positioned Samoa’s heritage monuments and material knowledge within wider Pacific conversations.

The Living Monuments project received sustained national and regional media attention throughout 2025. Coverage included Samoa Observer features, Radio Australia / ABC Pacific broadcasts, and regional platforms such as The Oceanian, which highlighted how Samoa’s ancient stone monuments are being re-interpreted through the combined use of traditional knowledge and digital technologies. These stories framed the work not simply as archaeology, but as a form of cultural revival, sovereignty, and knowledge justice — emphasizing community leadership, ethical access, and long-term stewardship of monumental heritage.

UNESCO published official articles highlighting the Upu ma Tala project’s role in celebrating living heritage and cultural rights, and additional visibility occurred through outlets such as Talamua, Radio Samoa, Newsline Samoa, and The Oceanian.

7. Digital Heritage, VR/XR Futures

Digital heritage work undertaken in 2025 built directly on methodologies developed through the Living Monuments project, where remote sensing, 3D modelling, and virtual access were first applied to Samoa’s monumental heritage at scale.

Digital heritage initiatives strengthened in 2025 through the development of a heritage website and a virtual tour of the Tiapapata complex, supported by Jonathan Fong of Motiv8 Fiji. Digital tools were used not as replacements for heritage practice, but as methods for access, education, and protection of fragile sites.

While in St Andrews, Scotland (September 2025), Galumalemana met with Professor Neil McDonnell, associated with a developing web portal titled ‘Museums in the Metaverse.’ He gifted a fagufagu and a hafted stone adze for 3D modelling. The preliminary 3D pass of the nose flute was produced in late 2025, signaling future potential for VR/XR engagement with Samoan heritage objects.

These digital initiatives do not replace hands-on practice; rather, they extend access, documentation, and intergenerational transmission. They position Tiapapata at the intersection of ancestral knowledge and emerging digital heritage methodologies.

8. Looking Ahead — Pathways Emerging from 2025

Developments during 2025 laid the foundations for an expanded and more interconnected programme of activity at the Tiapapata Art Centre in 2026. These pathways represent not a departure from the Centre’s direction, but the natural maturation of long-standing relationships, practices, and areas of inquiry that continue to shape Tiapapata as a site of living knowledge — grounded locally while connected to regional and global networks.

Academic collaboration remains central to this forward trajectory. Work initiated under the British Museum–supported Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP) will extend into 2026 through continued documentation, analysis, and ethical knowledge exchange focused on endangered Samoan material practices.

Learning exchanges scheduled for 2026 build directly on relationships consolidated in 2025. These include a six-week placement by Laidlaw Scholar Bea Pearson (University of St Andrews), whose research and documentation work intersects with climate knowledge, ethical practice, and visual storytelling, and an intergenerational plant knowledge workshop developed with Professor Karen Brown and Dr Victoria McMillan (University of St Andrews), provisionally scheduled for June 2026.

Alongside research initiatives, the expansion of Kalika Dojo signals continued growth in wellbeing-focused programming. Enquiries initiated in 2025 regarding an international Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training camp highlight the Centre’s emerging role as a destination for residential learning experiences that integrate physical discipline, cultural engagement, and community participation.

Toward the end of 2025, the Art Centre was approached by Tau‘ili‘ili Alpha Maiava and internationally acclaimed Samoan artist Yuki Kihara, who invited the Centre to serve as a host venue for the Sāmoa Arts Fono scheduled for March 2026. Partially supported by UNESCO, the Fono brings together artists, curators, scholars, and cultural practitioners to engage in dialogue on the challenges, strengths, and future directions of artistic practice in Sāmoa. The selection of the Tiapapata Art Centre as a Day One venue (4 March) reflects growing recognition of the Centre not only as a site of heritage revitalisation and community learning, but also as a trusted cultural space capable of supporting national and regional exchange within Samoa’s contemporary creative landscape.

The Centre’s engagement with astronomy and observational learning also continues to evolve. Discussions initiated with Sybilla Technologies open the possibility of hosting advanced optical sensor equipment and expanding community access to astronomical observation, extending Tiapapata’s earlier participation in international astronomy outreach programmes.

Together, these developments indicate that 2026 will further articulate — rather than redefine — the Centre’s core mission. Heritage practice, research, ecological knowledge, wellbeing, and observation are increasingly converging as interconnected strands within a holistic learning ecosystem rooted in place, relationship, and participation.

9. Partnerships & Learning Exchanges Initiated in 2025

A key institutional relationship strengthened during 2025 was the Tiapapata Art Centre’s long-standing collaboration with the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Dr Tony Crook, Director of the Centre for Pacific Studies, continues as Galumalemana Steven Percival’s principal academic point of contact and serves as primary liaison for the British Museum Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP) work scheduled for implementation in 2026. This relationship, built over more than a decade, positions the Art Centre within an international network dedicated to ethical, community-led documentation of endangered material practices and intergenerational knowledge transmission.

Building on this foundation, Bea Pearson (Laidlaw Scholar, University of St Andrews) secured approvals in principle in late 2025 to undertake a placement at the Art Centre from 8 June to 25 July 2026. Her proposed engagement is framed through ethically grounded practice, with a focus on contributing research and documentation skills — including filmmaking — in ways that complement, rather than duplicate, the EMKP programme, while also supporting the Centre’s broader education and cultural revitalisation activities.

Further collaboration developed through planning discussions with Professor Karen Brown and Dr Victoria McMillan (University of St Andrews), centred on a Samoa-based learning exchange in 2026. This includes an intergenerational plant knowledge workshop, with June 2026 identified as the preferred timeframe, subject to local confirmation and logistics. The initiative links the Art Centre into a wider trans-oceanic network of community heritage organisations and associated exchanges exploring traditional ecological knowledge, climate resilience, and intergenerational learning.

An especially meaningful reconnection occurred with the arrival of Denisa and Adam Vilkus, a photography and filmmaking team who returned to Samoa in 2025 and took up residence in accommodation reserved for artists in residence and volunteers at the Tiapapata Art Centre. Adam and Denisa previously lived at the Centre throughout much of the COVID-19 period, remaining in Samoa for nearly three years during a time of global uncertainty and restricted mobility. Their return reflects both continuity of relationship and the enduring creative and professional ties formed through earlier collaboration. In 2025, they focused on completing post-production work for UNESCO, editing video and photographic material generated through a regional project spanning Fiji, Tonga, and Vanuatu, addressing Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and community resilience under conditions of environmental change. Denisa’s photographic work is now featured within the Museum at the Art Centre, contributing a visual narrative that complements the Centre’s broader heritage and documentation initiatives. Alongside their professional commitments, Adam and Denisa have continued to play an active role as highly engaged and productive volunteers, supporting the Centre’s activities through creative, technical, and practical contributions.

In parallel, the Art Centre’s expanding role as a multidisciplinary learning site was reflected in enquiries associated with Kalika Dojo. Organisers from Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia proposed hosting an international Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu camp at the Art Centre complex in 2026, with accommodation sought across on-site units. This enquiry reflects growing recognition of the Centre as an integrated environment where arts, heritage, wellbeing, and community learning coexist.

The Art Centre also advanced long-term sustainability planning through a renewable energy grant application submitted in 2025. A decision anticipated in early 2026 may significantly strengthen operational resilience and expand capacity for residencies, workshops, and educational programmes.

Finally, 2025 included developments that broadened the Centre’s science-and-learning horizon. Building on Tiapapata Art Centre’s earlier recognition through the International Astronomical Union’s “Telescopes for All” initiative (2021), new discussions were initiated with Sybilla Technologies regarding the potential hosting of optical sensor equipment. While subject to further negotiation, this dialogue signals a promising pathway through which the Art Centre may expand children’s and community access to astronomy and observational learning.

10. Closing Reflection — A Living Knowledge Institution

Founded as a charitable trust in 2006, the Tiapapata Art Centre reached a significant milestone in 2025—its twentieth year of continuous operation. Over two decades, the Centre has evolved from a grassroots creative initiative into a distinctive learning environment where heritage practice, environmental knowledge, education, and contemporary creativity are interwoven.

The Art Centre’s core educational mission remained vividly present through the work of Wendy Percival, Director of Art Programmes. The teaching of visual arts to children, junior youth, youth, and adults continues to form one of the Centre’s most enduring and transformative activities. Through structured classes, studio mentoring, and creative exploration, Wendy’s programmes nurture technical skill, confidence, imagination, and personal expression, while reinforcing creativity as a lifelong practice embedded in everyday life.

Wendy also advances a long-term vision for strengthening Samoa’s printmaking landscape through the establishment of a Printmaking Guild at the Art Centre. This initiative seeks to connect artists across disciplines through monotype, relief, and experimental print processes, including the use of handcrafted rustic papers produced on site. Central to this vision is the Art Centre’s Monotype Printing Press, believed to be the only press of its kind currently operating in Samoa, positioning the Centre as a unique national resource for printmaking practice and education.

In parallel, Awal Mohammed’s work in 2025 further strengthened the Centre’s identity as a site of material research and artistic innovation. Building on years of experimentation in papermaking, Awal’s practice increasingly bridges technical fibre research with contemporary artistic expression.

His deep knowledge of plant and tree bast fibres, together with ongoing exploration of natural colourants, contributes not only to the sustainability of the Paper Arts Studio but also to the emergence of new aesthetic possibilities grounded in local materials.

What distinguishes this place of learning is that heritage is not treated as static “tradition” to be preserved in isolation. Rather, it is understood through critical heritage knowledges: heritage as lived practice, contested memory, embodied skill, environmental relationship, and intergenerational responsibility. Knowledge at the Centre is not only on display—it is, more importantly, made, shared, repaired, and renewed.

In 2025, this approach was visible across every dimension of the Centre’s work: canoe-building, siapo processes, blacksmithing, pottery revival, plant knowledge, papermaking, youth training, digital documentation, and environmental education. The Centre operated simultaneously as a cultural learning space, a research site, a training ground for young apprentices, a meeting place for elders and knowledge holders, and an international collaboration hub.

Much of the Centre’s work moved beyond safeguarding into cultural regeneration. Workshops under Upu ma Tala, clay research, lure-making, fagufagu revival, canoe-building, and tool-forging did not merely demonstrate heritage—they reactivated knowledge systems that had been dormant, fragmented, or marginalised. In doing so, the Centre challenged the assumption that heritage loss is inevitable, showing instead that skills can be re-learned, materials can be re-sourced locally, language linked to practice can be revived, and youth can step into continuity roles.

Another defining shift in 2025 was the Centre’s growing role as a site of research collaboration. Long-standing relationships with the University of St Andrews deepened through international work with the British Museum’s Endangered Material Knowledge Programme, positioning the Art Centre within global endangered knowledge research networks. In parallel, digital heritage initiatives expanded through virtual tours, 3D documentation, and emerging VR/XR collaborations.

The opening of Kalika Dojo added another dimension to this ecosystem: martial arts training as a space for discipline, resilience, wellbeing, and youth development. Enquiries initiated in 2025 have already led to plans for an international Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu camp in 2026, signalling the emergence of the Tiapapata complex as a regional learning destination.

As the Tiapapata Art Centre enters its third decade as a charitable trust, 2025 stands as a pivotal year. The convergence of intergenerational heritage practice, research partnerships, digital heritage initiatives, youth apprenticeship pathways, and international exchange suggests that the Centre is evolving into something more than an arts organisation. It is becoming a living knowledge institution rooted in Samoan values and relationships to land, ocean, and community. In a global context where heritage is often reduced to display, the Centre demonstrates another path: heritage as practice, relationship, and responsibility—sustained not through preservation alone, but through participation.

The twentieth anniversary year therefore reads not only as a retrospective milestone, but as evidence of continuity. The Centre’s early commitments—to materials, hands-on learning, youth engagement, and cultural dignity—remain clearly visible, now operating at a larger scale and within broader networks of research, policy, and international exchange.

Integral to this continuity is the dedicated team whose daily work sustains the Centre’s programmes, spaces, and atmosphere. Within the Café, Cilevu Letuuga continues to excel as one of the Centre’s principal chefs, demonstrating remarkable skill and creativity developed through experience rather than formal culinary training. Leilani Vetelino likewise maintains a consistent standard of excellence, particularly recognised for her specialisation in cakes and confectionery.

The Café has been strengthened by the invaluable contribution of Faith Punefu, whose reliability, warmth, and versatility have made her a tremendous support in day-to-day operations. Alongside her work in the Café, Faith also engages in creative practice, producing handcrafted artworks, most notably earrings, reflecting the fluid movement between artistic and practical roles that characterises life at the Art Centre.

Leilani Vetelino’s role similarly extends beyond the Café. In addition to her culinary work, she contributes to the Centre’s educational programmes, assisting with Children’s Art activities, while also maintaining her own artistic practice when time permits. This capacity to inhabit multiple creative and operational spheres exemplifies the Centre’s ethos of integrated learning and participation.

The kitchen and administrative functions have also been supported by Irene Lomiga, whose capabilities extended from kitchen assistance into valuable contributions within the Centre’s office operations, and by Crystal Percival, who assisted on a part-time basis.

Office functions during the year were assisted by Tania Ofisa, who worked diligently to maintain records and financial documentation despite having no formal training in this specialised field. Her commitment reflects the spirit of learning-through-doing that characterises much of the Centre’s working environment. Among the Centre’s long-serving craftspeople, Tiumalu Tai Pulemau remains a cornerstone of technical skill and institutional memory. A highly accomplished cabinet maker and woodworker, Tiumalu has contributed to the Centre’s development for more than three decades, including the years preceding its formal registration as a charitable trust. His craftsmanship, reliability, and mentorship continue to shape the physical and creative infrastructure of the Art Centre.

The Centre’s heritage practice has been profoundly strengthened by Avamua Alatina Tikeri, whose deep knowledge of Samoan material culture informs carving, tool-making, and traditional woodworking. First encountered in 2012 through a Creative New Zealand initiative marking Samoa’s fiftieth anniversary of independence, Avamua formally joined the Centre’s working team in early 2024. Since then, his guidance has supported the development of emerging practitioners, including Bruce Soane, who has become a skilled woodworker through hands-on learning under Avamua’s mentorship, particularly in the crafting of traditional wooden bowls.

The Centre’s operational vitality also rests upon the industrious contributions of Lamarben Tuipe’a, Sanele Siloto, and Peter Siloto, whose dedication, adaptability, and sustained effort underpin many of the Centre’s construction, maintenance, and creative projects. Among their major achievements is the construction of the Tall House, an important addition to the Centre’s accommodation and learning facilities.

ANNEXES

The annexes provide detailed reference tables supporting the narrative report.

Annex I: Media Publications List (2025)

Annex II: Cultural Knowledge Holders & Samoan Heritage Practitioners (2025)

Annex III: Artists in Residence (2025)

Annex IV: Volunteers & WOOFers (2025)