This exhibit holds the central place in Hawai`i Craftsmen
programs, being the finest vehicle available in Hawai`i for craft artists
throughout the state to display the superb quality of their work. It
culminates a year of workshops and other activities and allows us to assess
our accomplishments during the year and highlight our excellence.
Although there are several juried art exhibits in Honolulu, none other
feature fine crafts - both contemporary or traditional. Artists have a
difficult time making ends meet through artwork sales with no place to
display them. The plethora of craft fairs lulls the public into accepting a
limited quality of craftsmanship. Our exhibit draws the public and aspiring
craft artists to consider the lofty goals inherent in crafts and the
prestige available to those who achieve them. It demonstrates how
contemporary crafts can cross over into the realm of conceptual art and the
sort of interaction between artwork and viewer that adds to the dimension
of appreciation and questioning. It also makes these works available for
purchase. These activities increase the economic and artistic viability of
local artists.
Our annual exhibit is not just statewide in that we accept entries from
all islands, it is statewide because both jurying and community building
activities occur in all counties, ameliorating the costs of keeping in
touch--the majority of which fall on the shoulders of neighbor
islanders--and easing our isolation from each other. We send jurors to the
neighbor islands to see and feel the artwork in its own home, rather than
looking at slides or requiring entries to be shipped to Honolulu. The juror
also has an opportunity to present a slide lecture in a small and
interactive setting.
Members who live in the outer reaches of our neighbor
islands really appreciate the high quality of stimulating dialog brought to
their doorsteps. To infuse new ideas and techniques into the local scene
and offer input into the national scene, we bring a juror/artist of
national or international fame from out-of-state. He or she travels inter-island to jury, talking with local artists, and giving lectures--free
to the public--on their own work or the current state of the art. Hawai`i
Craftsmen pays to ship all pieces chosen for the exhibit to Honolulu which
features 90-130 artwork chosen from 250 artists. The O`ahu slide lecture is
given at the Honolulu Academy of Art.
Lasting at least 10 days, the exhibit opens with a reception at which
cash awards are given and art work is for sale. Artists and Hawai`i
Craftsmen members are present to help visitors enjoy and interpret the
entries on display. Over 2000 people attend the exhibit.
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