Wender·Vista
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands, far out into the open Pacific

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

— — a chain of islands the map almost forgets.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A run of small islands, atolls, and seamounts that stretches more than 1,900 kilometres beyond Kauai, holding some of the most intact coral reefs left in the world. Monk seals haul out on coral rubble beaches. Albatross colonies fill the air at Midway. Black-footed albatross chicks lift off in summer over water that goes nearly half a mile deep within sight of the reef edge. Access is closed to almost everyone, by Native Hawaiian custom and federal rule alike. The monument carries the names of the ancestor pair Papahānaumoku and Wākea. from the studio

from the studio
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
— bring it home

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Papahānaumokuākea covers roughly 1.5 million square kilometres of ocean and reef in the central Pacific, taking in the entire Northwestern Hawaiian Islands chain from Nihoa to Kure Atoll. It is one of the largest marine protected areas on earth and was expanded to its current size by presidential proclamation in 2016. The monument was inscribed as a mixed UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, recognised both for its biology and for its standing in Native Hawaiian cosmology as the place of origin and return of life.

— the silence

The monument is functionally closed. Public visitation is permitted only at Midway Atoll, and even Midway has been closed to general tourism since 2013 because of operational and biosecurity limits. Research and Native Hawaiian cultural access run by permit through NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The result is one of the few large reef systems where the dominant fish biomass is still apex predators rather than reef herbivores.

— the year

The monument supports more than 7,000 marine species, about a quarter of them found nowhere else on earth. The Hawaiian monk seal, with a wild population of roughly 1,600, breeds almost entirely within its bounds. Laysan and black-footed albatross nest by the hundreds of thousands on Midway and Laysan Island; the world's oldest known wild bird, a Laysan albatross named Wisdom, has nested on Midway since at least 1956 and is still raising chicks.

— where
United States · Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Hawaii
— within
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
— elevation
0 m · 0 ft
— position
25.7000° N · 171.7000° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
250 km SE
Kauai
main Hawaiian island
at the lake
Midway Atoll
atoll
at the lake
Laysan Island
island
at the lake
French Frigate Shoals
atoll
N
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
Kauai
Midway Atoll
Laysan Island
French Frigate Shoals
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

A U.S. marine national monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site covering roughly 1.5 million square kilometres of ocean and reef in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, from Nihoa to Kure Atoll.

The monument is named for the ancestor pair Papahānaumoku and Wākea, who in Native Hawaiian tradition are the parents of the Hawaiian Islands and of the Hawaiian people.

Almost no one can. The only site that has ever hosted regular public access is Midway Atoll, which has been closed to general tourism since 2013. Most access is by research or Native Hawaiian cultural permit.

More than 7,000 marine species, with about a quarter endemic. The Hawaiian monk seal, with roughly 1,600 individuals left, breeds almost entirely within the monument, and Midway holds enormous albatross colonies.

A Laysan albatross banded as an adult on Midway in 1956, making her the oldest known wild bird in the world. She has continued to return to Midway and raise chicks well past her seventieth year.

President George W. Bush established the monument in 2006 and President Barack Obama expanded it to its current size in 2016. It was inscribed as a UNESCO mixed World Heritage Site in 2010.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers with Hawaiian roots or a love of the islands beyond the resort coastline. A Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The deep blues and reef greens read well in coastal-modern, biophilic, and quiet contemporary rooms. It also sits comfortably in a study with rattan, weathered teak, and unbleached linen.

The piece reads as deep coastal-modern, a calmer alternative to bright tropical prints. It pairs with reef blues, sand, and pale woods in interiors leaning toward biophilic design.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large or a four-tile Mural holds the wall. Above a console table, a Medium or a horizontal four-tile Mural reads in proportion. For a feature wall, the nine-tile Mural is the answer.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room with moisture or splash. Both are scratch-resistant and built for vertical installation behind a stove or in a shower surround.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so it will not lift with normal cleaning. Skip abrasive pads and harsh solvents.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. There is no licensing, no stock imagery, and no second source. Reid Wender curates each place that enters the atlas.

— if this one stayed with you

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