Honolulu Arts Beat

Annual Statewide Juried Exhibition 2009 - Through October 31, 2009
Honolulu Academy Art Center at Linekona

Hawai‘i Craftsmen is proud to welcome back Helen Drutt as Juror for this year’s Annual Statewide Juried Exhibition. She founded Helen Drutt: Philadelphia, one of the first galleries in the U.S. devoted entirely to international contemporary craft. She is internationally renowned as an educator, curatorial consultant, lecturer and author.

Invited Artists:
Fiber: Liz Train
Mixed Media: Chris Reiner
Wood: Bill Ichinose

Hawaii Craftsmen Statement of Purpose of Exhibit

This exhibit holds the central place in Hawai`i Craftsmen programs, being the finest vehicle available in Hawai`i for craft artists throughout the state to display the superb quality of their work. It culminates a year of workshops and other activities and allows us to assess our accomplishments during the year and highlight our excellence.

Although there are several juried art exhibits in Honolulu, none other feature fine crafts - both contemporary or traditional. Artists have a difficult time making ends meet through artwork sales with no place to display them. The plethora of craft fairs lulls the public into accepting a limited quality of craftsmanship. Our exhibit draws the public and aspiring craft artists to consider the lofty goals inherent in crafts and the prestige available to those who achieve them. It demonstrates how contemporary crafts can cross over into the realm of conceptual art and the sort of interaction between artwork and viewer that adds to the dimension of appreciation and questioning. It also makes these works available for purchase. These activities increase the economic and artistic viability of local artists.

Our annual exhibit is not just statewide in that we accept entries from all islands, it is statewide because both jurying and community building activities occur in all counties, ameliorating the costs of keeping in touch--the majority of which fall on the shoulders of neighbor islanders--and easing our isolation from each other. We send jurors to the neighbor islands to see and feel the artwork in its own home, rather than looking at slides or requiring entries to be shipped to Honolulu. The juror also has an opportunity to present a slide lecture in a small and interactive setting.

Members who live in the outer reaches of our neighbor islands really appreciate the high quality of stimulating dialog brought to their doorsteps. To infuse new ideas and techniques into the local scene and offer input into the national scene, we bring a juror/artist of national or international fame from out-of-state. He or she travels inter-island to jury, talking with local artists, and giving lectures--free to the public--on their own work or the current state of the art. Hawai`i Craftsmen pays to ship all pieces chosen for the exhibit to Honolulu which features 90-130 artwork chosen from 250 artists. The O`ahu slide lecture is given at the Honolulu Academy of Art.

President Jackie Mild-Lau Presented Awards At The Show’s Opening

Dawn Wallace-Gadd & David Wallace, “Under the Sea Belt”-Frances Pickens Award of Excellence

Pat Kramer, “Ebony Drift”- George Ellis Award of Excellence

Ralph Michaelis, “Earth’- Paul Loo Memorial Award of Excellence

Diane KW & Cory Lum, “Midori Kyodai Teapot”- Reinternational Award for Ceramics

Kathy Tosh, “The Middle Path” -Alexis Award of Excellence

R.W. Butts, “Queens Highway (A Path Through Lava Fields)”- O’Neill Award of Excellence

R.W. Butts, “Waihona Makau”- Honolulu Academy of Arts Purchase Award

Rui Ann K. Apaka, “Women’s Voices”- Carol & Malcolm Koga Emerging Artist Award

Among the people putting together the show were Diane KW and Margo Cook. Diane was one of the winners for her teapot creation (inset) created with Cory Lum. Margo, who was featured prominently in the Honolulu Academy of Arts Artists of Hawaii show for her copper creations has moved on to silver bracelets (inset) also featured in the show.