Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 9, 1 September 2009 — Arts education gains momentum [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Arts education gains momentum

By Kauanoe Chang Special tu Ka Wai ūla The Keomailani Hanapi Foundation (KHF) received a grant from the Administration for Native Americans to pilot a Native Hawaiian school of fine arts in Waimea, Hawai'i. Hawai'i's first independent Native Hawaiian school of fine arts took its first breath, hā, when it opened its doors on May 25, 2009. At the heart of the curricuhmi was the Hawaiian teaching-learning eoncept of 'inii haku. It was a practice of strict but nurturing transference of knowledge and skills from master to student. Students at the 2009 HOEA, or Hawaiian 'Ohana for Education in the Arts, studied the arts of kapa, woodand stone-carving, wood-timiing, printmaking and jewelry. Hamnāna thrived under the masters' tutelage. Cynthia Nazara, a kupuna and

HOEA haumana, said: "being a part of this awesome school has not only helped me, but I eame to see the importance of how this has brought to surface the many talents of your younger generation. Some of these young men and women aren't eollege material and don't wish to be. So, in plaee of that, HOEA ean offer them alternate sustainability for their future. If everyone could see the joy in the eyes of these students and how their eyes tell you that they have so mueh to say through their art, not even realizing that they had this in them, is priceless." A practice woven into the project's certification requirements was volunteerism. Haumāna taught their new skills and knowledge to school groups, hālau hula, church groups, community agencies and visitors at Hawai'i's national parks. Two other components augmented the Studio Program. "Busi-

ness of Art" workshops taught students about successful business practices and how to prepare art for exhibits and sales. The third eomponent, an upcoming weeklong HOEA Market event, from Sept. 25 to Oct. 4, 2009, in Waimea, Hawai'i, will allow HOEA haumana to exhibit and sell their artwork. Other Native Hawaiian artists are also invited to sell works of fine art at the market. These components support KHF's mission of "increasing the number, visibility and accessibility to Native Hawaiian art and artists." With a deadline of Sept. 15, HOEA is still accepting applieations from Native Hawaiian artists to participate in HOEA Market. Please visit our web site at khf-hoea. org. HOEA is also inviting emerging Native Hawaiian fashion designers to debut their collections at a HOEA Market Fashion Show. Call the HOEA office at 808-885-6541 for

information. KHF's new ArtSpace at Parker Ranch Center will open in September 2009. When completed, it will house a native gallery to feature fine art created by Native Hawaiians and indigenous artists. It will offer HOEA haumana and the Waimea community instructional workshops and access to the studio spaces to

create art. KHF and HOEA are grateful to their sponsors: the Administration for Native Americans, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Richard Smart Foundation, M&I Wilkow Ltd. and the Parker Ranch Center. Kauanoe Chang is the project director at HOEA.

SL www.oha.ors/kwo PĀHEONA ■ ARTS

HOEA haumana work on their pahu niu under direction of kumu kūlūi lo'ou Kolo Willis. - Photo: CourtesyofHOEA