Part of the Ngāpuhi Iwi tribe of northern New Zealand, Eruera “Ed” Napia is a local sculptor and emeritus (former professor at the University of Utah), currently residing outside of Tooele, Utah. Through his sculptures, he shares the stories of his people. “This is how I can capture stories and legends that I grew up with.”
While attending school in New Zealand as a child, Napia learned how to play piano and do traditional dances, but he didn’t take any other art classes. “That didn’t happen until I was about 43.” When he was 17, he moved to Hawaii and worked at the Polynesian Cultural Center as a tour guide during the day and a performer at night. Later, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and attended UCLA. While attending UCLA, he was recruited by BYU to perform with one of their traveling groups. He then moved to the University of Utah to earn his doctorate in Cultural Foundations of Education. While he was trying to destress from his studies, Napia decided to take a ceramics class. “It was during my time at the University of Utah that I discovered pottery, and I was hooked. It’s a good thing I didn’t discover it earlier because I might not have gone to school, except to do pottery.” Napia commented.
Napia uses his sculptures to share the legends and stories he grew up with, as well as tell the more personal stories of his life. “That’s what’s unique about my artwork. My artwork has stories and a lot of them have songs, and when I have them on display, quite often if a person has time, I like to tell them the stories. In fact, I enjoy telling the stories more than I do selling the pots. It’s kind of hard to give up some of your artwork, but I’d like to say that the song and the story make it more unique.”
In an interview with the University of Utah, Napia explained, “My work is less about motivation and more about responsibility. My younger brother, who is the traditional spokesperson for my family, told me that whenever we move and live on the land of another people, it is our responsibility to do all we can to work for, support, and uplift those people.” Because of this, Napia makes it a priority to advocate for and support those around him, and he’s currently working to help give all people access to health care. He often shows this support in his art, both through the stories told by his sculptures and by the carvings and shapes of the sculptures themselves. “My artwork reflecting my life in Utah includes sculptures that are American Indian women, but I don’t put designs on them. If there is a design on them, it’s Maori. I never try to replicate their designs in my carvings; that should be left to their people and their artists.”
Napia offered a piece of advice for anyone working towards their goals: “If you find something you love, go for it. Pursue it and work at it, but get a good job along with it. Don’t make what you love the thing that you have to rely on, or you won’t love it anymore. Especially if you love art and plan to make a career out of it, get another job to support you. It’s very hard to live off your art alone.”
