Molokai Artists Showcased at Honolulu Exhibit

Downtown Art Center News Release

Downtown Art Center, in collaboration with Na Heona Molokai, is thrilled to present its first-ever art exhibition exclusively featuring artists from Molokai. No Stop Light: Molokai will be open for viewing in the second floor Exhibition Space from Friday, May 6 to Saturday, May 28. A free, public opening reception will be held on First Friday, May 6, from 4 to 8 p.m.

This historic show, the largest group exhibition by Molokai artists in Honolulu, is an opportunity for these often-unsung artists to convey their experiences of living on a Hawaiian Island so different from Oahu that there is no need for traffic lights. Coordinated by artist Kim Markham, co-founder of the Molokai Arts Center and renowned ceramicist, No Stop Light: Molokai is an exhibition by contemporary and traditional artists, with sculpture, fiber, wood, ceramic, photography, painting and jewelry created on Molokai.

Na Heona (artists) Molokai are a group of friends who all live on the island from Mana’e to Papohaku, and range in age. These artists are both kamaʻaina and malihini, and their ancestors are of all races: Kanaka Maoli Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Caucasian, and Mexican. Of note are the inclusion of two award-winning, internationally-recognized artists: TIME Magazine photojournalist and documentary filmmaker PF Bentley, and ceramicist and former theatre actress and director Arabella Ark. They are joined by several emerging artists, including Kalaʻe Tangonan, niece to Hawaiian activist Walter Ritte, whose work is a striking and beautiful interpretation of island life; and Anna Fuernsteiner, a former dental hygienist-turned painter who tells the cultural and traditional stories of Molokai through her eyes.

No Stop Light: Molokai artists are Arabella Ark, Dan Bennett, PF Bentley, Anna Fuernsteiner, Patti Golebieski, Ikaika Bishaw-Juario, U’i Kahue-Cabanting, Victor Lopez, Kim Markham, Carol Rocha, Kala’e Tangonan and Nan Walters. 

The exhibition will be open for public viewing from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, including Mother’s Day, May 8. Musicians from Molokai will provide live entertainment on several occasions during the exhibition. Downtown Art Center is located at 1041 Nuʻuanu Ave., Second Floor, in Honolulu’s historic Chinatown Gateway Plaza. 

Special events include First Friday Opening Artists Reception on Friday, May 6 from 4 to 8 p.m., where attendees can meet and mingle with the artists, and enjoy live music by Molokai musician Kahale Naehu-Ramos; Saturday and Sunday afternoons (weekly) with ʻUlana Niu (the art of weaving with coconut) workshops and interactive demonstrations by cultural practitioner and artist U’i Kahue-Cabanting. The Ephemeral Installation will take place daily from 4 to 6 p.m. during which invited artists from Oahu and beyond will each create a five-foot-square installation utilizing 500 stoneware “pebbles” created by Kim Markham, along with their own artwork. The closing reception will be held on Friday, May 27 from 4 to 8 p.m. to wrap up the show in style and enjoy live music by Molokai musician Kalā Bishaw-Juario.

For more information, contact Markham at kim.markham@gmail.com or visit downtownarthi.org.