Over 250 youth were a part of the Hui No‛eau Visual Arts Center’s summer arts program this year. With weekly themes covering various styles and subjects, the nine week Camp Kaluanui offered a chance for participants to work with a team of experienced artists, learning new skills and mediums for expressing their imaginations. The 2017 Youth Exhibition at the Hui No‛eau showcases the creative works of some of Maui’s youngest talents.
Claudio Marchetti’s Paper Flowers from the Sea study inspired the use of recycled paper and textured layers symbolic of the ocean environment. Imagery was based on botanical drawings of sea anemones by German Botanist/Artist Ernst Haeckel.
Maria Dougherty’s Polynesian Art project taught tribal design, repeating patterns, and oil pastel blending to ages 8-11.
Students learned about artist Louise Nevelson’s abstract expressionism style of using abandoned objects to create sculptures. Teaching Artist Katie Peterson encouraged each young artist to find their own narrative, and the final pieces were spray-painted in a uniform color similar to Nevelson’s work.
An interactive activity table invited gallery viewers to create their own works of art by coloring coffee filters and crafting them into butterflies to be hung on the Hui wall.
“Watch your colors move!…Let’s soar into the next century…”
More advanced projects included Tania Arens’ Adventurous Printmaking Exploration, a teaching of the process of drypoint etching using plexiglass. Collaborative artist Kelly Foss showed students how to draw their own faces, and the portraits were then transferred to the plexiplates for printing.
Visiting Artists David & Andrea Peterson’s enameling workshop demonstrated the use of powdered glass sifted onto copper shapes and fired in a hot kiln. Layers, masking, and scratching were used to make unique patterns.
Emilia De Castro’s “The New Wave” project was a study in Japanese artist Hokusai’s woodblock print “The Wave.” Students painted their own interpretations with acrylic on canvas.
The 2017 Youth Exhibition is a fun look at the creative abilities of Maui’s bright young artists. The show runs through August 24th, and the gallery is open daily from 9am-4pm. For more info, visit the Hui No‛eau website.
