Wailoa Arts and Cultural Center in August will host its inaugural “Collaborations” show, a juried art exhibit which opens Friday with a public reception from 5-7 p.m. Wailoa Arts and Cultural Center in August will host its inaugural “Collaborations” show,
Wailoa Arts and Cultural Center in August will host its inaugural “Collaborations” show, a juried art exhibit which opens Friday with a public reception from 5-7 p.m.
Everyone is invited to stop by and meet the artists. A short awards presentation will begin at 5:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Because of the positive response from creative folks across the island of Hawaii, coordinators plan on making “Collaborations” a biennial event at Wailoa.
“The idea for this exhibit came from the desire to challenge and inspire artists to pursue new directions that they might not normally explore,” said Wailoa Director Codie King. “I am very happy with the artists who accepted this challenge, enjoyed it and learned from their experience.
“We hope to continue the ‘The Spirit of Collaboration’ throughout the month of the exhibit by inviting the visiting public to participate in an ongoing collaboration in the Fountain Gallery, where they can draw on two canvases we have installed on the walls. I am sure the results by the end of the month will be fantastic. I was inspired by the recent community collaboration at the University of Hawaii at Hilo sponsored by the SummerAi Program.”
The exhibit in the Wailoa Main Gallery features works of art created by two or more artists who have collaborated on individual entries. This inaugural exhibit has 63 artists submitting 50 entries. Some have come from Kona, having participated in Collaborations Hawaii 2012, a project sponsored by Tai Lake and Cliff Johns.
“Also being presented and invited to exhibit is the SummerAi Program paintings created by more than 85 individuals and volunteers,” said King.
“These paintings are the result of an afternoon of collaborative community effort hosted by the UH-Hilo Art Department in conjunction with the first annual SummerAi-Hilo program” said Michael Marshall, chair of the UH-Hilo Art Department.
Marshall said the recent “Block Buster Party on the Lawn” event invited all ages to participate in a paint “happening,” studio tour and music mixer with faculty and students currently participating in the 2013 University of Hawaii Summer Art Institute-Hilo program. The SummerAi-Hilo project was made possible with support from the Hawaii Community Foundation-LAF fund, the Howard and Yoneko Droste Bequest, the University of Hawaii Hilo Art Department and Student Activities Council.
Wailoa Art & Cultural Center is a facility of the Division of State Parks, Department of Land and Natural Resources. It is free and opened to the public Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday from noon to 4:30 p.m. The Center is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays. For additional information, please call 933-0416. fax 933-0417 or email wailoa@yahoo.com.
