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Maui Connections

Being the target of A BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII is not the way you want to become the lead story on the national news Saturday night.

The good news, obviously, was that the cellphone alert was a false alarm. It was just Saturday’s episode of the hideous reality show that has replaced the American way of life we all used to know. Even tourists vacationing in paradise can’t turn it off.

Watching U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s steadiness on CNN within minutes of the initial warning had a calming effect — although she didn’t mask her anger at how long it was taking all agencies involved to issue an official all-clear.

Still, by 9 a.m., most of us were back to mowing the lawn, hitting garage sales or going to the beach.

The irony, and possibly the silver lining, was that it happened in Hawaii, one of the saner states of the union. By the end of the day it was being chalked up to human error, a single individual hitting the wrong button . . . hardly a reassuring thought these days, either.

Being in Hawaii, the missile alert sparked echoes of Pearl Harbor in the national media. Thankfully the threat did not materialize, but it still feels like a wake-up call warning of new dangers when previously unthinkable thoughts have become the new normal, unspeakable words have become the new headlines and sneaky early-morning attacks no longer originate from outside our borders.

On Sunday — the day after the world didn’t end — Schaefer Portrait Challenge 2018 opened in Schaefer International Gallery at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. This was the sixth such portrait exhibit, said Gallery Director Neida Bangerter as she thanked Jack and Carolyn Schaefer Gray and Gage Schubert, along with the Hawai’i Tourism Authority and Maui County for the support that has made it happen every three years.

It features works by 57 artists juried by Carol Bennett, Charles Cohan and Jennifer Owen from 183 entries submitted statewide. Anticipating the show will draw 9,000 visitors to the gallery before it closes in March, Neida added that it’s a great venue for people watching.

In every sense. Not only do the portrait subjects make eye contact with you from the gallery walls, but at Sunday’s opening, many of them were there in person, along with the artists who had captured them in all their soulful glory. Throw in friends and family, and the reception felt like a cross between a jolly backyard party and a mana-packed encounter with some of the most beautiful and inspiring people in the islands.

Here was my pal Darrell Orwig, captured by Eddie Flotte in Darrell’s eccentric Makawao studio, but also live in person outside in the courtyard with his wife, Mary, somewhere nearby. It was great running into old friends Mike and Kili Namauu Yasak, especially as part of an extended ‘ohana celebrating their son Kuakea O. Yasak’s wonderful contribution to the exhibit.

While one area was devoted to revelatory self-portraits, including those by friends Robert Glick and Jennifer J. Stephens, most of the works selected by the jurors explored the unique bond that develops between artist and subject in the creation of a portrait.

Kimokeo Kapahulehua is iconically infused with sunshine in Carlo Carbajal’s portrait of him — but Carlo’s story of the six years that went into creating the painting was equally amazing. Kurt Kurokawa’s beautiful family has grown since the last portrait challenge. Linda Whittemore’s portrait of her mother, Margaret Bedell, in bed with her teddy bear nearing the end of her life, was poignant . . . as were so many other labors of love lining the walls and podiums.

The winner of the $15,000 Juror’s Prize, Natasha Young, is herself quite young, but her jaw-dropping portrait of a woodworker named Brennan is wise beyond both their years. Inadvertently, one of the things this exhibit is about is the passage of time, the passage of life, one generation to the next. Creativity is the life force running through their veins.

Every picture tells a story, literally. The specific pieces that caught my eye are a tiny fraction of all the treasures on view.

Prior to opening the gallery, Neida brought the artists to the stage for a group portrait. The show itself is a group portrait, a moment brilliantly captured in the life of Hawaii, 2018.

It’s a life we all share, and one we cherish that much more after seeing this incredible exhibit.

Schaefer Portrait Challenge 2018 continues through March 18 in Schaefer International Gallery at the MACC. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, and before and during intermission of Castle Theater shows. Admission is free.

* Rick Chatenever, award-winning former entertainment and features editor of The Maui News, is a freelance journalist, instructor at the University of Hawaii Maui College and documentary scriptwriter/producer. Contact him at rickchatenever@gmail.com.

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