Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 5, 1 May 1993 — Hawaiian artist's generosity exploited by commercial tracers [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian artist's generosity exploited by commercial tracers

by Patrick Johnston For three years Alu Like, a non-profit agency engaged in a variety of programs to improve the condition of native Hawaiians, has

offered workshops j for anyone mterested In tracing copies of Hannah Baker's quilt designs and using them for their own private quilt making. Hannah Baker is a nationally renowned Hawaiian quift designer who broke from old Hawaiian traditions and the ways of the : modern world by openly sharing and trading qui!t designs.

She taught for inany years and ieft behind a iegacy of over 200 quilt and piilow designs depicting traditi0nal Hawaiian images. The worksk>ps are in line with Baker's generous spirit, and her desire to proraote Hawaiian eulture and traditions. She onee said, "We Hawaiians made a big mistake. We hung

onto our quilt patterns and gave away our land. We shouid have done the opposite. lf we had, qui!ting wou!dn't be a dying art aml we'd all be going aroumi with rent receipt books in our

pockets." Bishop Museum is now the curator of Baker's work but, because of space !imitations, eontracts with Alu Like to make the lracing services availabJe fo the puhiie. While Bishop Museum and Aiu Like have tried fo sttck to the spirit of Baker's legacy, increas-

ing evidence of individuals tracing designs and using them for commercūil purposes has prompted the museum to rewrite thetr contract with Alu Like, stipu!ating that anyone who engagcs in a tracine workshop

eannoi use their copv commereia!!y. Museum contract director Alan Haynes says, "Our new eontract with Alu Like states that anyone who traces Hannah Baker's designs eannot Use fhem for eommereial purposes," but he adds. "Obviously we ean't monitor everythtng. There's so mueh

— matertai tnat tt something starts being used commercia!ly it*s hard

for us to find out about it." The only way, in fact, is if someone contacts the museum and brings the violation to their aftention. Baker*s approach to her arf contrasts with the view of present day ai tists-and Hawaiian.s of the past -who havc thoughf, with continmd on page 7

Poakalani and her husband John at home in Nu'uanu

e e/) e: -e o £ o o £

Participants in Alu Like's Hannah Baker tracing workshop

Hannah Baker Qui!ts

contiunedfrom page 6 plenty of justification, that others would sfeal and profit from fheir work if it was not guarded iyDespite art theft problems, Haynes believes the museum ts doing ihe right thtng by providing the service. "We're really happy with what Alu Like is doing. ... Part of the donatton agreement is that the designs be shared. You never know what's going to happen to the art but tt's better to

have it open to the puhlie than loeked away wheie nobody knows about it for 100 years," "Bishop Museum was gefting a lot of requests for information afaout quiltlng," says Robert Velligas, coordinator at Alu Like's Native Hawaiian Library Project. "We felt we couid provide a service by making tbe patterns avaiiabie for tracing and help preserve a valuable tradition."