Museum After Hours: Traditions of the Pacific

Friday, May 10, 2024
5 – 9 p.m.

In collaboration with the Bishop Museum Association Council, Museum After Hours brings back the beloved program series Traditions of the Pacific – featuring Nā Akua Ākea: The Vast and Numerous Deities: Traditional and Contemporary Expressions of Ulana ʻIeʻie. Join us for a spotlight exhibit and panel discussion showcasing the work of the Kona, Oʻahu cohort of haumāna practitioners who embarked on a year-long weaving journey to weave kiʻi akua hulu manu under the direction of nā Kumu Lloyd Kumulāʻau Sing Jr. and May Haunani Balino-Sing.

Traditions of the Pacific is organized, in part, by the Bishop Museum Association Council, the supporting council for Bishop Museum members, to celebrate the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.

Spotlight Programs

Nā Akua Ākea: The Vast and Numerous Deities Oʻahu Exhibit
Location: Atherton Hālau
Friday, May 10, 2024
Time: 5 – 9 p.m.
The exhibit features the work of 16 haumāna practitioners and their kumu who have each woven a kiʻi akua. Kiʻi akua (images of deities), hīnaʻi iʻa (fish traps), peʻahi (fans), mahiole (helmets), pāpale (hats) and more will be on view in Atherton Hālau. This is a special one-night exhibit that provides an early viewing of the completed work before the kiʻi akua will be displayed at Capitol Modern in June 2024 for the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture.

The participating practitioners include:

Mahana Beamer
Jade Chihara
Hōkūlani Chong
Kilinahe Coleman
Kaʻohi Ibrao
Nainoa Kahiona
Kimeona Kāne
Mānowai Kobashigawa
Mahi La Pierre
Tyrone Makaokalani
Kuʻulei McGee
Lindsey Keʻala Ostrowski
Kahalepuna Richardson-Naki
Ikaika Rogerson
William Sellers
Piʻilaniwahine Smith

Panel Discussion: Traditional and Contemporary Expressions of Ulana ʻIeʻie
Location: Atrium of Hawaiian Hall
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Join master weavers Kumulāʻau Sing Jr., May Haunani Balino-Sing, and Marques Hanalei Marzan as they discuss their own weaving journeys, fiber arts traditions of the Pacific, and perspectives on how traditional weaving practices have been revitalized and perpetuated today. Moderated by Healoha Johnston, Director of Cultural Resources, and Curator for Hawaiʻi and Pacific Arts and Culture at Bishop Museum.

— Panelist Bios —

Kumulāʻau and Haunani Sing are passionate Hawaiian cultural bearers and educators who combined have over 40 years teaching in the community. Trained under the guidance of the late master ʻieʻie weaver Raymond K. Nakama, Kumulāʻau and Haunani continue to perpetuate and teach how to weave and recreate the many beautiful forms attributed to this style of weaving. As Ke Kumu Hawaiʻi, an Oʻahu culturally based organization that promotes healthy mauli ola for kānaka, the Sings teach community cohorts and workshops in the art ulana ʻieʻie and other Hawaiian material culture.

Marques Hanalei Marzan is a Hawaiian and Oceanic fibers culture bearer and contemporary visual artist born and raised in Kāne‘ohe, Hawaiʻi. His skill, knowledge, and experience is highly acknowledged within his community where he serves as a mentor and advocate, perpetuating Hawaiian fiber techniques, and instilling indigenous values in his students. He trained under esteemed experts in Hawai‘i including master weavers, Julia Minerva Ka‘awa and Esther Kakalia Westmoreland. As the Cultural Advisor at the Bishop Museum, Marques promotes the integration of indigenous mindsets and practices within the Museum field.

Membership Lounge
Location: Atherton Hālau Lawn
5 – 6:30 p.m.
All guests are invited to a Membership Lounge where they can mingle with available artists and panelists ahead of the formal program and learn more about the benefits of joining the Bishop Museum Membership ʻOhana. Show your digital membership card or sign up for Bishop Museum’s e-newsletter listserv for light refreshments and pupus, while supplies last.

Ongoing Offerings

All Night – Food and Drink Vendors on the Lawns

Keiki Activities w/ Ulu Aʻe Learning Center
5 – 7:30 p.m. – Gallery Lawn
Activities include ʻohe kāpala (create a greeting card using stamps), kōnane (out play your opponent in a two-player strategy board game) and kiʻi pōhaku (collect the most matching petroglyphs). For ages 5-10. A parent/guardian must be present.

Lauhala Weaving w/ Keoua Nelsen
5:30 pm – 6:30 m – Flanders Lawn
Weave the dried leaves of the Pūhala (Pandanus) into a stunning bracelet (one per attendee). Courtesy of Helumoa, Royal Hawaiian Center

Lei Making w/ Maxeen Shea
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Flanders Lawn
Use the kui (sewing) style to string an assortment of blossoms into a beautiful lei (one per attendee). Courtesy of Helumoa, Royal Hawaiian Center

ʻUkulele Lesson w/ Puʻuhonua Jumawan
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Flanders Lawn
Learn basic chords and sing a song as you strum Hawaiʻi’s best-known string instrument, introduced to the islands in the 1870s from Portugal. ʻUkulele provided. Courtesy of Helumoa, Royal Hawaiian Center

Hawaiian Hall Tours
6 p.m. and 8 p.m. – Hawaiian Hall
Immerse yourself in the beauty and history of Hawaiian Hall. Join one of the daily public tours inside Hawaiian Hall to learn more about Bishop Museum’s history, its collections, and the living cultures of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. Meet at the staircase in Hawaiian Hall’s front entry tower.

Planetarium Shows – The Hawaiian Sky Tonight
6 pm, 6:45 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:15 pm – J. Watumull Planetarium
Each show is 25 minutes. Tickets required; reserve at Shop Pacifica upon check in. Free for members and children under 4, $3 per person general admission. Limited seating. Learn what stars, constellations, planets, and more can be seen in the skies above Hawaiʻi the night of the show.