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Exposure to
outside artists and their ideas and techniques are an important
part of maintaining a viable hold in the national and
international craft scene; as is maintaining excellence amongst
our artists. To address these concerns, Hawai`i Craftsmen
conducts the following basic programs:
- Fiber Hawai`i, is
generally offered every other year. This exhibition encourages participation from
artists in all media who wish to explore fiber related work. In this case fiber as
a media as well as fiber as an idea is encouraged. The juror also presents a slide
lecture about their work or developments in the field, which is free and open to
the public. When appropriate a workshop is also offered.
- `Aha Hana Lima
("Gathering of the Crafts") is held annually. It's a series of intensive 3-day
workshops, lectures, and dialogs concerned with various media: clay, metal, wood,
fiber, or glass. A free open to the public slide lecture at Arts @ Marks and exhibition of the guest artists work
are also part of this event.
- Raku Ho`olaule`a, is an annual community Raku ceramics
workshop and camp out, preceded by an Urasenke tea bowl
workshop, a public demonstration of the construction of a clay
piece, a slide lecture and a reception for the guest artist. The
camp out is followed by a juried exhibition opened by a festive
reception with a Tea Ceremony firing demonstration.
- The annual Statewide Juried Exhibition of traditional and
contemporary crafts brings a juror of national or international
reputation to the state to jury entries on Oahu, Maui, Kauai,
Hilo, and Kona. The juror also presents a slide lecture at each
site on his views and interpretations of either his work or the
contemporary craft scene. Exhibiting artists and members of
Hawai`i Craftsmen act as docents during the exhibit, which lasts
for at least 3 weeks.
Other areas of activity for Hawai`i Craftsmen include:
Management of The ARTS at Marks Garage. In 2000
Hawai`i Craftsmen was designated one of the lead partners and the
on-site manager for The ARTS at Marks Garage - an arts enterprise
project in downtown Honolulu. This opportunity allowed us to
increase our presence in the community and to offer expanded
programming to our membership and the public.
Our four Film and Video Productions, created for education
and outreach have won numerous awards and distinctions. The
tiles include: The Hawaiian Quilt--A Cherished Tradition, Legacy
of Excellence, Raku Ho`olaule`a and You Be the Judge.
The Living Masters Video Documentation Project documents Hawai`i's living folk arts masters and their arts. The archive
project has created an accessible resource for artists and
craftspeople, scholars and researchers, teachers and students,
and interested citizens. Folk arts masters, who work in the area
of lauhala weaving, boat building, makers of agricultural and
ritual implements, saddle making, and fishnets will be
considered for documentation.
Exhibition: Flower Traditions in Hawai'i June 3-17, 2007, EWC Gallery
Flower design is significant for people all over the world. In Hawai'i there are
many extant flower traditions that people continue to practice. This exhibition will
focus on four distinct traditions and will include live demonstrations, flower
arrangements, photography, and video. Hawaiian lei making, Japanese ikebana flower
arranging, Chinese narcissus carving, and Lao temple offerings will be featured in
the exhibition.
There are several master artists from diverse communities who are experts in their
culture's various flower traditions. We are presenting four master flower artists
from diverse traditions. The artists include:
Bill Char, master Hawaiian lei maker; Gilman Hu, master of Chinese New year
narcissus carving; Southammagosanl, maker of Laotian ceremonial flower offerings;
and Elsie Tanaka, master of ikebana Japanese flower arranging.
On three consecutive Sundays different master artists will share their work by
demonstrating at the East-West Center Gallery. During the week visitors can enjoy
the flower displays, photographs, and Hawai`i Craftsmen's video:
Flower Traditions of Hawai'i. Marco Garcia's beautiful photographs of the flower
artists working and video by Layla Schuster will emphasize the depth and diversity
of Hawai'is flower traditions.
The exhibition is being presented by the East-West Center and Hawai'i Craftsmen.
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