March 28, 2006
MEDIA CONTACT: Caroline Witherspoon
or Jocelyn Collado
Becker Communications
(808) 533-4165
EXHIBIT CELEBRATES SIX NATIVE HAWAIIAN MASTER ARTISTS
HONOLULU – Bishop Museum’s latest Vestibule Gallery exhibit, Ku I Ka Ni‘o: Celebrating Six Hawaiian Master Artists, honors and features the artwork of six Native Hawaiian Visual artists who have been at the forefront of the Native Hawaiian arts movement. The exhibit opens on Saturday, April 1 and will be on display until July 9, 2006.
These six artists are being honored for their tireless efforts in promoting Native Hawaiian Arts in the community for decades. Each artist will showcase pieces which bear testament to their bodies of work as a ground-breaking Native Hawaiian visual artist. The featured artists are:
Rocky Jensen: Master carver, illustrator, and author, Jensen creates in the tradition of his ancestors, his carvings an embodiment of both their ancient form and function. Co-founder of Hale Naua III, he has long been an advocate for Kanaka Maoli Fine Arts, having mounted over 150 art exhibitions. His works have traveled around the world. Jensen will feature three sculptures, including “Ke Akua Hulumanu” which depicts one of the forms of the god Kū.
Imaikalani Kalahele: Kalahele is the consummate poet/warrior/artist. Multi-talented and multi-faceted, he paints, draws, and creates fibrous sculptures, often infused with his long grey hair. Kalahele’s words and works often address issues of cultural and social justice for the Native Hawaiian people. A prolific artist, he is also honored for his work on behalf of the Hawaiian arts community, having organized scores of exhibitions over the last 30 years. Kalahele will showcase an 18-foot suspended painting entitled “Kumulipo and Po ‘Ele’ele.”
Herb Kane: Art-historian, author, and general designer and builder of the Hōkūle’a, Kane’s work is often a meticulously researched depiction of Hawaiian history. Over the decades, he reintroduced Hawaiian imagery into popular culture. His career has included advertising art, publishing art, architectural design, painting, writing, and sculpture, and he continues to create from his home in South Kona. Kane’s 21-foot mural, “Kaha’i Entering Kaneohe Bay,” is the largest piece in the exhibit, taking up an entire wall of the gallery.
Mary Lou Kekuewa: Known affectionately as the “Feather Lady” or as “Aunty Mary Lou,” Kekuewa has been creating fine Hawaiian featherwork for more than 50 years. From teaching classes in schools, colleges, civic and senior citizen clubs, and the Bishop Museum or from her Kapahulu shop, to giving featherwork demonstrations in the continental U.S., New Zealand, Tahiti, and Japan, Aunty Mary Lou has taught, inspired, and encouraged generations to perpetuate this ancient art. A beautiful feather cape by Kekuewa will be on display.
Marie McDonald: Known mostly for her exquisite lei-making, McDonald’s talent spans the spectrum, from painting to kapa making. For decades, she has practiced the traditional art of kapa making and has passed on her knowledge to generations of new practitioners. McDonald will feature a piece of kapa, whose bright colors and bold patterns remind us that kapa making was vibrant and conveyed a sense of mana and meaning. Special lei of this master artist will also be on display.
Ipō Nihipali: Nihipali’s creativity is expressed through a wide range of media, from painting to tattooing to water sculpture, but in each there is a common theme of beauty and awe. Her work embodies the Hawaiian concepts of aloha ‘āina and malama ‘āina, which she conveys to future generations through her many community-based art projects. Nihipali will display her 9-foot tall community acrylic mural project, “Aloha Aina, Malama O Pu’uhonu O Waimanalo,” a representation of the ‘ili (a subsection of a land division) of the village within the larger ahupua’a of Waimanalo and reflects the cultural and natural history of the area.
For years of devotion, labor, and commitment, these artists are also presented with the first ever MAMo Award, an integral part of Maoli Arts Month. This award has been created by a coalition of organizations: the Maoli Arts Alliance (MAA), Bishop Museum, PA'I Foundation, Keomailani Hanapi Foundation, and 'Ilioulaokalani, as a means to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of Native Hawaiian visual artists within our community.
A treasured resource of Hawaiian history and heritage Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop as a tribute to his wife Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha dynasty. Located at 1525 Bernice Street, the Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $14.95 for adults; $11.95 for seniors and youth 4-12 years, special rates for kama‘āina, seniors and military; children ages 3 and under and Bishop Museum Members are free. For information, call 847-3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.
Note: Digital photos of each of the artists are available. Please contact Jocelyn Collado at Becker Communications at 533-4165 if you are interested in receiving images.