Eleven artists will explore the meaning of home and belonging Saturday during a one-day arts celebration across Hawaii Island.
Vibrant Hawaii facilitated a yearlong art fellowship with support from One Nation/One Project, which is a national initiative to show how participation in the arts leads to healthier people and communities.
Vibrant Hawaii chose a variety of Hawaii Island artists to join the fellowship and spend the year learning from other artists and developing their own art.
On Saturday, the One Nation/One Project campaign, Arts for Everybody, will bring together the Vibrant Hawaii fellows along with artists in 18 cities across the U.S. to premiere an array of large-scale, site-specific participatory art projects with the theme of “No Place Like Home.”
Hilo’s Erin Healani Chung, 35, will be exploring her own personal meaning of home and belonging through her own storytelling performance on stage at the Palace Theater.
“I never would have started this project if it weren’t for the Vibrant Hawaii Arts Fellowship. I’ve been an actor, a stage manager, a director, but I’ve never written or created a show before,” Chung said. “It was not an easy process, and I’m 100% surprised what it turned into.”
Chung, born and raised on Hawaii Island, received a bachelor of arts degree in theater from the University of Hawaii at Manoa before moving to New York City for training and acting opportunities.
While she started writing about her experiences growing up on Hawaii Island and in Hilo, Chung began seeing the story grow into something more than she could imagine.
“The story became about coming home while being a Hawaiian person who feels disconnected from the culture and the ‘aina, and what it takes to reestablish that connection, but not feeling like it’s my place to,” Chung said. “That’s not at all what I wanted to say, but because I’ve never written before, I had to go where the story took me.”
Chung will perform her show, “Long Way Home,” for the first time on stage with special guest performers and live music from the Hilo Honeys at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Palace Theater.
This event is free, but RSVP is required at hilopalace.com/hpt_event/long-way-home/.
“This opportunity gives me the ability to pass on the message that everyone’s story is important and everyone should share it and chase their dreams,” Chung said. “The show is also a reminder of the special place we live in, and I hope it’s a little light that I can share to inspire someone. Every time you’re inspired, you feel a little better.”
Other Vibrant Hawaii art fellows also will share their art Saturday at various locations across the island.
Avalon Paradea will celebrate kapa through a hands-on demonstration open to the community from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Waimea Town Market. Kapa is culturally important and often creates unity by enhancing pilina (relationships) with people and place.
Jeramy Madrid will display his work that highlights the healing power of art and celebrates familial bonds that aim to create a healing space for children with disabilities from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Tutu’s House in Waimea
Marata Tamaira will lead three workshops on Ho‘i Ka Piko (“return to center”): Mindful Writing for Youth at 11 a.m., 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. at the Koana Cultural Community Center in Mountain View. The program encapsulates four domains of connection: centering meditation and breath-work, listening to indigenous Pacific/Hawaiian poetry, writing and sharing with peers.
Abbie Rabinowitz will host an afternoon of art and dialogue open to all artists who want to share their creative journeys from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Arthur Johnsen Studio in Pahoa.
Nicole “Keola” Gomes will celebrate the value of shared experience with a quilt show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Old Kohala Courthouse in Kapa‘au. The show will include handmade quilts and the unveiling of a quilt made by the community during weekly quilting circles and events.
Sara Stover will be sharing her upcoming book, “Kupuna Wisdom,” at the Experience Volcano Race at 9 a.m. at the Volcano School of Arts and Science in Volcano. The book is based on talk story interviews with Hawaii Island elders.
Ninamarie Bell will perform in her debut concert with songs guiding attendees on a journey of inner reflection and restoration from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Mike Luce Studio at the Kahilu Theater in Waimea. The show is rooted in the healing power of the ‘aina, music and gathering together in intentional spaces.
Angaea Cuna will showcase her immersive spiderweb installation, which is handwoven from banana fibers and features a handmade book, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Studio 7 in Holualoa. The piece channels the resilience of the spider and its web in remembrance of every home she had to leave.
Jaymeson Lokela Sanchez is presenting an exhibit of his artwork with hulu manu and hana no‘eau, showcasing a collection of handmade pieces made of wood, feather and natural fibers from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lyons Building in Hilo.
Kerry Mark Green invites anyone to add their creative expression in color or words to a large canvas beginning at 1 p.m. outside of the Moonsun Art Gallery in Kealakekua. In the evening during a musical performance, he will bring these seemingly disparate elements together in harmony as one complete piece.
For more information about the “No Place Like Home” Art Fellow Showcase on Saturday, visit vibranthawaii.org/economy.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
