On August 25, 1916, the “Organic Act” establishing the National Park Service was signed. This new federal bureau was given the responsibility of protecting our country’s national parks and monuments. 2016 marks the 100 year celebration of this act honoring the importance of conserving the scenic beauty, wildlife, and historical significance of our parks system.
To commemorate the occasion, the Maui Arts and Cultural Center (MACC) is presenting the Hawaii National Parks 2016 Centennial Juried Exhibition in the Schaefer International Gallery. The show runs from August 30th through November 6th, 2016 and features a selection of works submitted by artists across the country. The gallery exhibit showcases artwork that reflects the deep appreciation we have for our parks and monuments in Hawaii…the wonders of nature and the cultural meaning they hold as well as the memories we create on our travels.
Several pieces in the show evoke the imagery and power of Hawaii’s volcanoes. Lee Plevney’s “Lava Tubes – Breathing Holes for the Earth’s Soul” is a triptych of white stoneware vessels symbolizing the energy of Maui’s Haleakala. The artist’s process includes shaping the ridges of thrown stoneware, envisioning the forms of cooling lava. “I live each day within the shadow of Haleakala,” she says, “The lava tubes I create signify that I, and my ohana, remain connected to the soul of this island. We walk the hills and valleys of Haleakala. We did one hundred years ago and will one hundred years from now.”
William Worcester has been visiting our national parks for many years and says, “They truly are America’s best idea.” His blown, carved and sandblasted glass piece is titled “Geologists Dream.” Along with being a talented glassworks artist, Worcester is trained as an Oceanographer. A fascination with earth science fueled his creative process. “This piece inspired by Volcanoes National Park conveys the feeling of an active volcanic island,” he explains. It was created with layers of molten glass and glass powders, a sandblasted surface and vent, and a lava-like stream of dyed hemp with red twine in the center.
Wilma Nakamura’s mixed media “Gesture Tinged With Awe” is a collection of 100 postcards reflecting the power of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Using imagery of Pele’s tears (volcanic glass lava drops) along with ink drawings and handwritten memories, she describes her experience as a child viewing the eruption of Kilauea Iki. “Pele is part of my DNA,” says Nakamura, “Inhaling her dust, tuning my ears to the sonic roar, squinting my eyes to take in the orange white hot lava, taming my fear of being in close proximity to her and accepting that the ground under my feet often moved…This piece is grounded in memory. Five weeks in November 1959 at the Park.”
Sacred land is given reverence through creative expression. Jacob Medina’s “Pu‘uhonua O Honaunau” is an acrylic, enamel and birch panel piece named for the national park on the island of Hawaii’s Kona Coast. In ancient times, Pu‘uhonua O Honaunau was a place of refuge, a sanctuary of peace and forgiveness. It is a protected site today, and visitors travel to the park to feel Hawaii’s mana. “I chose Pu‘uhonua O Honoaunau for its unique blend of natural and cultural resources where the idyllic Hawaiian landscape is made sacred by human influence,” Medina says, “The power of this site inspired me to use bold line work and exaggerated colors that highlight the significance of this historic place.”
A disturbing time in U.S. history is chronicled through artwork focusing on the Honouliuli Internment Camp. From 1943 to 1946, Honouliuli held over 300 Japanese-American internees along with close to 4,000 prisoners of war. Surrounded by barbed wire fencing, the 160 acre site was located in an isolated deep gulch near Waipahu on Oahu. Japanese-American internees nicknamed it Jigoku-Dani, or “Hell Valley.” This was the largest and longest-operating of several internment camps in the state of Hawaii, and the only site built specifically for prolonged detention. Honouliuli Internment Camp became a national monument in 2015.
Delro Rosco’s “Freedom for the Captives” mixed media painting draws inspiration from the monument. The artist’s imagery includes muted colors and rough textures pierced by barbed wire. Rosco describes the work’s creation, “Being aware of the hurt from the injustices that were caused by the internment of Japanese-American citizens during WWII, my hope was to capture a sense of place, the pain of imprisonment, brokenness, and a desire for healing, hope and freedom from bondages for all those affected by this dark part of our history.”
Kathy Yoshihara’s “We Cannot Bury the Past” is a combination of clay, glazes, and computer generated decals on fused glass. With a playful artistry, Yoshihara conveys a stark reminder of the unjust circumstances faced by both adults and children during the war. “Although this piece is from a child’s perspective, the effects were no less damaging,” she says, “The camps forever altered the Issei and Nisei’s perspectives and lives, which was passed down to future generations. We were taught to live a life of Gaman.” (Gaman: Enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity)
Rounding the walls of the gallery, we’re brought back to a celebration of the islands’ natural beauty with artwork focusing on plants, trees and wildlife in our parks. Marie Ritzman’s “Endangered or Extinct Hawaiian Forest Birds” is a ceramic sculpture with a clever construct. Ritzman explains, “Through the work of the National Parks, the endangered forest birds survive. See them depicted in this nest of porcelain clay, painted underglazes on porcelain eggs.” Some of the native birds featured include the ‘O‘o, the ‘I‘iwi, and the ‘Elepaio.
Shaun Fleming’s “Haleakala Rising” is a handcrafted Koa wood cabinet inspired by the slopes of Haleakala National Park where the native trees grow. Fleming describes a deeper connection to the source of her work, “The Koa wood from which this cabinet was constructed came from a very old dying tree. Our family salvaged it many years ago, hauling it out of the mountain, milling, drying, and finally fabricating it. It now has a new life. I feel blessed to have had this gift to work with as it sparks a fire in my heart.”
The Hawaii National Parks 2016 Centennial Juried Exhibition offers fascinating insights into the parks system. In addition to the artwork and informative placards throughout the gallery, a glass enclosure holds an official park ranger uniform along with descriptions of the birds and insects at Haleakala.
Open through November 6, 2016, this exhibit is a must-see collection of works reflecting the significance of Hawaii’s history and our natural world. To learn more about the gallery showing and our parks system, visit the MACC exhibit page and the National Park Service website.