Explore French Polynesia’s culture, history, and storytelling through a hands-on printmaking experience inspired by the work of Tahitian artist Tahe Drollet, MOA’s 2026 Artist-in-Residence. Participants of all ages will create and take home postcard-sized prints from the artist’s original linocut designs while discovering the stories, landscapes, and cultural traditions that inspire his artistic practice.

Family friendly, all ages welcome.

Limited capacity, first come first served.

Bio

Tahe is a Tahitian artist who was born and raised in Tahiti, French Polynesia. Deeply rooted in his Polynesian heritage, his work reflects an ongoing exploration of identity, tradition, and cultural evolution. He envisions how the legacy of his ancestors can be carried forward into the present, adapting and transforming within the context of today’s world. Drawing inspiration from both the past and the present, Tahe focuses particularly on questions of identity. A recurring theme in his work is the influence of Western cultures on traditional Tahitian society.

Tahe Drollet is the 2025/2026 Geoffrey and Margaret Andrew Fellow in Creative and Performing Arts. Tahe is also the recipient of the Résidence Pacifique, funded by the Institut français du Canada as part of the Résidences Ouest-Ouest programme. Learn more about his residency at MOA.

Visit Tahe’s website for more information.

Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision explores the enduring worldviews of ancient Andean civilizations through nearly 100 exquisite pre-Columbian ceramic, textile, bone and wood works, some dating back more than 2,500 years.

These works were collected by former UBC Professor Alan R. Sawyer and donated to MOA. This exhibition highlights Andean cosmovision—a holistic and spiritual understanding of the universe grounded in reciprocity, balance, and the recognition of nature as a living being. Far more than artistic objects, the belongings on display embody relationships between humans, ancestors, and sacred forces.

These 45-minute Not Your Average Tours invite visitors to encounter Tupananchiskama through the perspectives of specialists in ceramics, Andean cosmology, and collecting history, offering layered insights into the objects, their meanings, and the complex journeys that brought them to the museum.

Capacity of 25 people per tour; first come, first served.

Schedule
Select Thursdays | 7 pm

April 30: Carol Sawyer (visual artist and daughter of Alan Reed Sawyer and Erika H Sawyer whose donated collection form the basis of the exhibition)

CANCELLED — May 28: Dr. Alexandra M. Peck (inaugural Audain Chair in Historical Indigenous Art & Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Art History, Visual Art, & Theory) — Cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances

June 25: Pao Noriega (Indigenous Andean Ñusta Paqo, Mesa Carrier, Original Peoples Advocate, conscious coach, and knowledge keeper)

Tour in Spanish/Visita guiada en español | 6 pm
Tour in English | 7 pm

September 24: Dr. Aleksa Alaica (Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Anthropology).

Bios

Carol Sawyer (she/her) is a visual artist and singer working with photography, installation, video, and improvised music. Since the early 1990’s her visual art work has investigated the connections between photography and fiction, performance, memory, and history. Collection donations from her parents, Alan Reed Sawyer and Erika H Sawyer, form the basis of the exhibition.

Dr. Alexandra M. Peck serves as the inaugural Audain Chair in Historical Indigenous Art & Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Art History, Visual Art, & Theory. She is an anthropologist and material culture specialist with a research focus on Pacific Northwest Native art, archaeology, and geography.

Pao Noriega is an Indigenous Andean Ñusta Paqo, Mesa Carrier, Original Peoples Advocate, conscious coach, and knowledge keeper born in Peru and initiated into the sacred Q’ero lineage. She carries the Quechua, Aymara, and Amazonian roots of her ancestors and shares their teachings with integrity and devotion. Her work bridges ancestral Earth based technology with modern science for healing and transformation.

Aleksa K. Alaica is Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. She is an anthropological archaeologist interested in the interactions between humans and animals in the Andes. She investigates the way different animal species influenced and shaped past cultures, with much of her work examining Moche material culture, animal bone remains, and their rich iconographic record.

Tahe Drollet is the 2025/2026 Geoffrey and Margaret Andrew Fellow in Creative and Performing Arts. Tahe is also the recipient of the Résidence Pacifique, funded by the Institut français du Canada as part of the Résidences Ouest-Ouest programme.

Tahe is a sculptor and, during his residency at MOA, will be based in the Judy Cranmer Ceramics Laboratory in the Multiversity Galleries. During his time here, Tahe will be developing new work, engaging with MOA’s collections from French Polynesia, and connecting with staff across the Museum.

Bio

Tahe is a Tahitian artist who was born and raised in Tahiti, French Polynesia. Deeply rooted in his Polynesian heritage, his work reflects an ongoing exploration of identity, tradition, and cultural evolution. He envisions how the legacy of his ancestors can be carried forward into the present, adapting and transforming within the context of today’s world.

Drawing inspiration from both the past and the present, Tahe focuses particularly on questions of identity. A recurring theme in his work is the influence of Western cultures on traditional Tahitian society.

Sculpture is Tahe’s primary medium, often created using resin, natural elements, and found materials. Through these tactile forms, he offers a deeply personal and thought-provoking reflection on the ways Tahitian culture continues to evolve within a globalized context.

His work invites viewers to engage with the complexities of cultural hybridity and to consider the enduring presence of indigenous voices in contemporary art. His art serves not only as a tribute to his roots but also as a platform for cultural dialogue and continuity.

Visit Tahe’s website for more information.

Follow Tahe on Instagram.

In this special tour, Robert Kardosh, owner of the Robert Kardosh Gallery and one of the principal contributors to the book Glory and Exile: Haida History Robes of Jut-ke-Nay Hazel Wilson, will discuss Jut-Ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson’s fascinating work.

Between 2005 and 2006, Jut-Ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson created a powerful, untitled series of 51 “history robes,” which recount specific episodes of Haida history in stunning detail—from a Haida perspective. I Use My Haida Eyes marks the first time that nearly the entire body of work, most of which have never been displayed publicly, is shown together.

These 45-minute Not Your Average Tours invite visitors to engage with I Use My Haida Eyes through the perspectives of artists, family members, and community voices, offering layered insights into the works, their meanings, and the knowledge they continue to carry forward.

Capacity of 25 people per tour; first come, first served.

Bio

Robert Kardosh is the owner of the Robert Kardosh Gallery (formerly Marion Scott Gallery). A specialist in the field of modern Inuit art, he has written extensively on the work of numerous artists from Nunavut and beyond. As Jut-ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson’s art dealer for more than three decades, he watched the artist create her monumental series of button robes in real time. He is one of the principal contributors to the book Glory and Exile: Haida History Robes of Jut-ke-Nay Hazel Wilson, published by Haida Gwaii Museum and Figure1.

Look up! What do you see?

Sky, stars, stories, ancestors, constellations.

Across cultures and centuries, people have looked to the same sky and found different meanings within it. Under One Sky invites visitors of all ages to discover how different cultures understand the night sky and to explore those perspectives through astronomy.

Step inside a portable planetarium, create your own constellation artwork, learn about astronomy in the High Andes, and explore the impact of light pollution. Weather permitting, view the Sun through a solar-safe telescope.

If you’re fascinated by astronomy, curious about world cultures, or simply looking for an inspiring summer night out, join us to see the cosmos—and our place within it—from new perspectives.

Program

Great Hall (Under the Dome)

Portable planetarium experience | 5–8:30 pm
Musical performances | 5–8:30 pm

Multiversity Galleries (Skies Across Cultures)

Explore stories and traditions of the night sky from Persian, South Asian, and other cultural perspectives | 5–8:30 pm

Learning Lab (Constellation Studio)

Create your own constellation artwork to take home | 5–8:30 pm

Bill Reid Rotunda (The Light We’re Losing)

Discover how light pollution is changing our view of the night sky | 5–8:30 pm

Presentation Circle (Astronomy in the High Andes)

Learn about the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and astronomy at one of the world’s highest observatories | Every 40 minutes | 5–8:20 pm

O’Brian Gallery (Andean Sky Tour)

Tour of feature exhibition Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision with curator Luis Manuel Gonzalez | 5:30–6:30 pm

Culture and Cosmos: An Anthropologist and Astronomer in Conversation with Luis Manuel Gonzalez La Rosa and Maude Larivière | 7–8 pm

MOA Grounds (Solar Telescope Viewing)

View the Sun through a solar-safe telescope (weather permitting) | 5–7 pm

MOA Café

Food, drinks, and a cash bar featuring Noosh Gin cocktails | 5–8:30 pm

Throughout the Museum

Stories in the Stars Activity Guide: Pick up an event guide at the Information Desk and explore at your own pace throughout the evening.

Presented by MOA in partnership with the UBC Department of Physics & Astronomy, the UBC Astronomy Club, and the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre.

Art credit: Constelaciones Andinas, by Miguel Araoz Cartagena. Oil on canvas. On display as part of Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision.

Art Club at MOA is a new monthly evening series for adults who are curious about using craft as a way to connect—both with the Museum’s collections and exhibitions, and with one another. Part creative workshop, part social gathering, Art Club offers a relaxed space to slow down, experiment, and make meaning through art.

Each Art Club is inspired by an ongoing exhibition at MOA, inviting participants to explore its themes through hands-on artistic practice.

Art Club sessions are free and located in the Cedar Café at MOA (does not include admission into the museum).

Limited supplies; first come, first served.

Schedule

Monthly, on select Thursday evenings.

Upcoming

June 18: Hazel Wilson

Past Events

January 15: Trouble in Paradise
February 12: Everyone Says I Look Like My Mother
March 26: Tupananchiskama
April 23: Coming Together
May 21: Biodiversity Day

During their residency at MOA, Jai will be designing ceramic works in the Judy Cranmer Ceramics Laboratory (located in the Multiversity Galleries).

Bio

Jai Sallay-Carrington (they/them) is a figurative ceramic sculptor whose practice examines human identities, behaviours, and emotions through anthropomorphic forms. Drawing from their queer and transgender identity, their work uplifts queer and trans communities while interrogating dominant heteronormative and cis-normative structures. Their sculptures explore hidden aspects of selfhood through zoomorphic symbolism — each creature enriching the narrative of the human form it merges with, and deepening our understanding of internal, often unseen identities.

Attending artist residencies, installing exhibitions and teaching workshops has brought them and their artwork throughout Canada, USA, several European countries and to China. They earned their MFA at the University of Washington in 2023, receiving the De Cillia Graduating with Excellence award and the HUB Purchase award. Following their graduation, they received a grant from Canada Council for the Arts and attended a year-long residency at Baltimore Clayworks as the Lormina Salter Fellow.

Visit Jai’s website for more information.

Follow Jai on Instagram.