Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 2, 1 February 1990 — Clark's drawings at Queen Emma Gallery [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Clark's drawings at Queen Emma Gallery

By Deborah Lee Ward Editor, Ka Wai Ola O OHA The 'alamihi crab, a symbol in Hawaiian folklore, is the theme in a show of drawings by Herman Piikea Clark Jr. in the Queen Emma Gallery at Queen's Medical Center. The show runs from Feb. 8-28. The story is told throughout Hawai'i of the 'alamihi crab who tries to climb out of the bucket but its fellow crabs pull it down. In his show Clark uses the story of the 'alamihi crab to illustrate the problems Hawaiians face in an active and controversial community when they sometimes seem to pull one another down with criticism. It ean be good to struggle together, he says, but to struggle against one another ean be tragic. He believes the role of the artist is not just to entertain or to validate the experiences of the eulture, but also to shake people up. Hawaiian artists have the responsibility to say things to the Hawaiian community and to the public at large, he believes. The recent works in this small show utilize his preferred media of graphite (peneil), charcoal, pen and ink, and pastel. Clark, a 1978 graduate of Punahou School, received his B.A. in art from the University of Hawai'i. He studied law at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, but decided he would prefer to pursue a career in art. He returned to Hawai'i, resumed art studies at the University of Hawai'i and is interested in going for his MFA in design. Clark also has a small side business designing T-shirts that draw upon Hawaiian myths. Clark is the son of the late Herman Clark and Fern Clark who is director of the Office of Hawaiian Health, Department of Health. He was born in Honolulu and his family has lived there and

in Hilo and New Zealand. He has one brother, John, a student at UH. Queen Emma Gallery is in the entrance lobby of Queen's Medical Center, 1301 Punchbowl St. in Honolulu. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Artist Herman Clark, Jr. and pieces from his exhibit.