Not only is it Lei Day tomorrow and the start of Maoli Arts Month, but the Bishop Museum will kick off the celebration by hosting its 3rd Annual MAMo Awards Ceremony and Gallery Reception. The event will recognize this year’s Native Hawaiian visual artists who have championed Native Hawaiian arts – lauhala weaver Elizabeth Lee, painter Al Lagunero, sculptor David Parker and painter/arts organizer Hanale Hopfe. Thursday, May 1, 6:00-9:00 pm.
I don’t know much about these awards, but I’m actually impressed by the promo art, which feels both contemporary and traditional at the same time.
Over the weekend the festivities continue with the 3rd Annual Native Hawaiian Arts Market & Keiki Art Festival. It will feature the work of over 40 Hawaiian artists, demos, workshops, food, and Hawaiian entertainment. Keiki will be able to experience activities such as sand art, watercolors, lei making, kapa beating, weaving, feather work, storytelling, and t-shirt screening. On the grounds of the Bishop Museum, Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4, 9:00 am-5:00 pm. $3 admission fee includes access to all galleries.
First check out the Advertiser historical photo gallery to revisit some groovy flight attendant uniforms of years past. Then click over to Aeroblue Designs and pick up some, now collectible, retro Aloha Airlines t-shirts.
Former Aloha pilot, Kyle Thompson, first created Aeroblue as a fundraising effort for victims of the Southeast Asian Tsunami in 2004. He originally designed a retro t-shirt which was inspired by an old luggage label to sell to Aloha employees, donating the proceeds to the East West Center Tsunami Relief Fund.
But the shirts turned out to be such a hit, that Thompson decided to license the brand and create more shirts to sell to the public. Now he carries over 40 shirt designs and caps/visors in his online store including Hawaiian Airlines, the defunct Pan Am, and other more exotic fleets. Made in Hawai’i, the designs are inspired by vintage tags, timetables, posters, ads and photos, and reflect an era when flying was “an exciting, romantic adventure”. (Ah, how times have changed…)
As you can imagine, much of the Aloha merchandise has been selling out recently since the airline shutdown. However, Thompson adds that they are currently screening more shirts and have many more designs in the works. According to him, “We intend to keep the spirit of Aloha Airlines alive for many, many years!
The Honolulu Airport. The IBM Building. UH’s Bachman Hall. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying Vladimir Ossipoff’s impact on O’ahu’s urban landscape. Therefore, a little lesson on one of Hawai’i’s most influential architects ought to be required. (For a little Ossipoff refresher, check out this Advertiser article and Homescape magazine article.)
In case you missed the Ossipoff exhibit at the Honolulu Academy of Arts back in January, you can still get up to speed on with the documentary screening of “True to Form: Vladimir Ossipoff, Architect” tomorrow, April 29 at 7:00 pm, at the Honolulu Design Center Cupola Theatre. The hour-long film is the extended version of the video shown at the January exhibit produced by KDN Films. Preceding the doc at 6:00 pm, there will be a panel discussion on the future of architecture in Hawai’i. More info here.
And for extra credit, you can still purchase the Academy’s hefty Ossipoff exhibition catalogue (and a copy of the documentary too). Available at bookstores and the Academy shop for $65. Visit the well-design microsite for book excerpts.
Now for you final exam, write a 500-word essay on the definition of Hawaiian modern…
For all artists in Hawai’i and, well, anywhere, there is now a free service called Creative Index from the online portfolio site, Behance, dedicated to connecting creative types and those who need them.
Link to your online work and portfolios. Search by location and categories from acrobatics to writing (and literally every field in between, even blogging). Simple, easy to use interface.
There were around 10 Hawai’i entries when I last checked.
But I know there’s a lot more of you out there who ought to be signing up.
Bolts of Fabric & Fun — Vintage kimonos, ethnic textiles, and notions for DIY projects on sale from TEMARI. Keiki crafts and demonstrations too. Saturday, April 26, 9 am - 1 pm at the Honpa Hongwanji.
Absolute Fashion – UH-Manoa’s annual student fashion show this year. Themes are “Around the World”, “Barbie”, and “Go Green”. Sunday, April 27, 12 pm at the Sheraton Waikiki. $40, includes lunch. Read the Advertiser article here.
