Catalina Museum for Art & History shares how Catalina became a South Sea Island: From Book to Film to Bar.
This exhibition explores Catalina Island’s contribution (as a film set) in the popularization of tiki culture-tracing the origins from adventure books, their adaptations into Hollywood films, to the subsequent South Seas-themed restaurants and bars that dotted the country beginning in the 1930s. The role that the Isthmus and Avalon played in the development of this aspect of American culture is immeasurable.
The museum welcomed author, tiki scholar, and cinematographer Sven Kirsten as its guest curator for this exhibition. Artifacts, film ephemera, and original books and artwork are included to showcase this evolution of stories and culture.
On view at Catalina Museum October 22, 2022 - September 3, 2023.
Film by Eric Minh Swenson