Art

Visual and performance arts stories on Molokai

Warming Laps and Hearts

Wednesday, March 25th, 2015

Warming Laps and Hearts

A group of kupuna received a cozy gift last week when members of the Molokai Museum Handcrafters Guild presented them with colorful, handmade quilts.

Wilma Pratt, who founded the guild in 2008, said the eight members gather to quilt and create crafts together once a month. It took them about a year to sew about a dozen lap quilts, and Pratt said they decided to donate the finished products to the kupuna at Na Pu`uwai’s Senior Day Care Center, a program that offers care and activities for the elderly.

Their warm and colorful gifts brought smiles and words of gratitude last week.…

Scholarships for Senior Art Students

Thursday, March 12th, 2015

Lahaina Arts Association News Release

Lahaina Arts Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is proud to announce its 37th Annual High School Senior Art Competition, Exhibition and Scholarship Awards Program.  Graduating High School seniors from Maui County, including the island of Molokai, are welcome to submit their art for exhibition and consideration in the scholarship competition.  Entries must be postmarked by April 4 or can be dropped off in person Saturday, April 4 or Sunday, April 5 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Old Jail Gallery (Below the Old Courthouse) in Lahaina under the Banyan Tree.

Each participating High School Senior may submit one entry for each of the five categories — Painting, Drawing, Three-Dimension, Photography, and Mixed Media. …

Hot Soups Hit the Spot

Wednesday, March 11th, 2015

Hot Soups Hit the Spot

After a week of torrential rains and whipping winds, island residents cozied up to steaming bowls of homemade soup at the Molokai Arts Center (MAC)’s fifth annual Soup’ R Bowl event last Saturday night.

Nearly 20 artists of all levels crafted ceramic bowls for the hundreds of people who showed up at the event, held at the Molokai Community Health Center. Guests could choose from 578 different bowls to eat soup from and later take home.

“One of the things that I appreciate about ceramics as an art is that it’s really functional,” said MAC Development Director Helen Kekalia. “I think this event highlights the functionality of art.…

Soup’ R Bowl

Friday, February 20th, 2015

MAC News Release

Molokai Arts Center (MAC) announces its fifth annual Soup’ R Bowl fundraising event, a fundraiser for the arts and art education on Molokai.

The MAC signature annual fundraising event is quickly coming up on March 7 from 5 to 9 p.m. Join us for an evening of delicious soups, artisan bread, fresh island green salad, a full lineup of live entertainment, a silent auction featuring a variety of art from local artists, and the many local artists, themselves, who make this event possible with their creative work!

The event will be featured once again at the historic location of Molokai’s old Pau Hana Inn site, now the Molokai Community Health Center. …

Support Art Education

Friday, January 9th, 2015

MAC News Release

The Molokai Arts Center (MAC) announces a special opportunity for you to help support art education in in our community.

Each year, the State of Hawaii and its schools are faced with increasing budget cuts that impact how much art education our youth are exposed to in school. This importance of culture and the arts, and the fact that it is sometimes not readily tangible, even though it impacts our quality of life significantly, is priceless and irretrievable once lost.

This same principle holds true for all artists of all ages and walks of life.

Here is a special way for you to help contribute to increasing access to art education and opportunities on our island of Molokai:  help the Molokai Arts Center through it’s Partnership with the Friends of Hawaii Charities, Inc.…

Library of Local Talent

Thursday, December 18th, 2014

Library of Local Talent

Molokai artists ushered in the holidays last week, gathering to share their work at the Public Library in the third annual art show of Molokai Arts Center (MAC) members.

“To me, it’s a chance for the organization to thank individual artists and for them to get some exposure – and to see themselves as professional artists,” said potter Dan Bennett, MAC Treasurer and founding member. “We have to push some to enter because they don’t think their art is good enough, which to me is absurd.”

Art in all colors, shapes and sizes – ranging from the useful to the whimsical – made an appearance at the show, representing at least 30 member artists, Bennett said.…

Bennett Pottery Celebrates 40 Years

Thursday, November 20th, 2014

Bennett Pottery Celebrates 40 Years

Bennett Pottery News Release

On Nov. 29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bennett Pottery celebrates 40 years of making ceramics on Molokai.  Since 1974, potter Dan Bennett has been creating unique stoneware and porcelain utilitarian ware at a reasonable cost for the Molokai community.  Bennett is a founding member of the Molokai Arts Center (MAC) and teaches ceramics for University of Hawaii Maui College on site, as well as beginning and intermediate classes for adults.  He can be found at the MAC teaching three days each week.

Aside from a wide range of pottery designed for functional use, this year features some small sculpture pieces of animals and structures, as well as work from salt and raku firings.…

A Look Into Kalaupapa Life

Wednesday, October 1st, 2014

A Look Into Kalaupapa Life

When many people think of Kalaupapa, images of exile, suffering and disfigurement come to mind – stories from history books that tell a horrific tale from outside eyes. A photo exhibit that opened at the Molokai Museum and Cultural Center in Kalae last Saturday seeks to depict the people of Kalaupapa in a new light.

“So much of [Kalaupapa’s] history is based on other people’s accounts and often sensationalized and just not true,” said Valerie Monson, coordinator for Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa, the organization sponsoring the exhibit. “[The exhibit’s goal] is to capture history in their own words and the images they chose.…

Pinot and Painting

Friday, September 26th, 2014

Pinot and Painting

Last Wednesday, 12 adventurous Molokai residents, with paint brush and palette at the ready, tried their hand at acrylic painting as the sun set behind Tante’s at Hotel Molokai. The Art Bar workshop, offered by the Molokai Arts Center, was the first of its kind on the island, but is part of a growing national trend to make art fun and accessible.

Guided by instructor Laura Pilz, graphic designer at The Molokai Dispatch, participants recreated a photo of a colorful heliconia flower.  While the painting came together, attendees also enjoyed the company of new friends and a beverage from the bar.…

Kalaupapa Photo Exhibit Opens

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

Kalaupapa Photo Exhibit Opens

Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa News Release

“A Reflection of Kalaupapa: Past, Present and Future,” an exhibit of about 100 photographs of Kalaupapa and her people will open at the Molokai Museum and Cultural Center in Kalae on Saturday, Sept. 27, with a blessing at 10 a.m.

Opening day festivities, open to the public, will run through 2 p.m. The museum will waive entry fees on that day only. The exhibit will be on display at the museum through Aug. 29, 2015.

The exhibit was produced by Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa, a nonprofit that includes Kalaupapa residents, family members/descendants and friends of the community.…