Atiu Island. Cook Island. Polynesia. South Pacific Ocean. A client is tested a necklace on Andrea's Fibre Art Studio in Atiu Island. The Studio is also well known for its tivaivai, the Cook Islands' traditional ceremonial cloths. "Tivaivai" means patchwork and is the general term for unpadded, unquilted, mostly appliquéd coverlets of about 2.50 m X 3.00 m, sometimes heavily embellished with intricate embroidery. The Studio's works can be found in public and private collections in the Cook Islands and abroad. The National Culture Centre, banks and hotels on Rarotonga, and the Intercontinental Hotel on Maui (Hawaii) commissioned us to create artwork for them. The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne (Australia) acquired one of our tivaivai for their permanent collection. Recently, New Zealand's National Museum Te Papa added four of our works to their permanent collection (above). The Atiu Fibre Arts Studio participated in a number of national and international textile exhibitions in the USA, Europe, Australia and Oceania, many of which Andrea curated. She has also lectured about the Cook Islands’ traditional ceremonial cloths and conducted workshops internationally. At the Fibre Arts Studio, we use a wide variety of materials and natural fibres: cotton, silk, linen, tapa (bark cloth). Many of the fabrics are hand-dyed to achieve a perfect colour match with the natural materials. On request, Andrea conducts private workshops at the Studio for textile enthusiasts, who are interested in learning new textile techniques and enjoy working in a tranquil island environment. Visit Andrea at the Atiu Fibre Arts Studio. Ask for information on specially commissioned textile artwork. If you would like to see more tivaivai, wall hangings, art quilts and fibre arts objects, have a look at our comprehensive catalogue.