…following quote taken from the American Museum of Asmat Art website.  “The American Museum of Asmat Art at the University of St. Thomas (AMAA@UST) is dedicated to preserving, exhibiting and educating students and the general public about the art and culture of the Asmat people. The Asmat live on the southwestern coast of the island of New Guinea, which lies directly north of Australia in the southern Pacific Ocean. Today, their homelands lie within the modern nation of Indonesia. Dweling in villages along the banks of the numerous rivers that wind through the dense rainforests of a vast muddy coastal plain, the Asmat are renowned as among the finest and most prolific wood sculptors in the Pacific Islands. Asmat artists also work in a diversity of other materials including fiber, feathers, and shell. Contemporary Asmat artists still produce some works for ceremonial use. However, the vast majority of Asmat art today is created for sale on the global art market.”

Please visit the University of St. Thomas Art Gallery web site for more information.