Behind the utilitarian entrance doors of the Schaefer International Gallery at Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului, a world of magical delight awaits visitors with the 10 a.m. opening today of Art Maui 2019.

“After 41 years, Art Maui remains the premier juried art show in Maui County,” extolled Jane Thompson, Art Maui co-chair. “Art Maui is self-sustaining and requires no donations or grants. It is an all-volunteer organization with each member of the board fully hands-on in the production of the annual show. We attract established artists as well as newcomers to the art field and provide a highly qualified juror to put together a cohesive and exciting show.”

One hundred twelve new works by 103 artists were selected from a total of 493 pieces by 305 artists. This year’s juror, Lisa A. Yoshihara, is the Transit Arts Program administrator at the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. Yoshihara was director of the University of Hawai’i Art Gallery and assistant professor of art in the Department of Art & Art History at UH-Manoa where she taught Exhibit Design and Gallery Management.

For more than 20 years, Yoshihara was curator of the Art in Public Places program at Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, as well as founding director of Hawai’i State Art Museum.

“It was very rewarding to see new artists during the jury process. It is a sign that the art community is vibrant and healthy,” offered Yoshihara. “The strength of certain media like printmaking and jewelry making came through strong, which is a testament to having an art center like the Hui No’eau [Visual Arts Center in Makawao] that provides essential facilities, instruction and synergy, a place to learn, share, create and collaborate.”

This year’s show is full of bright, vibrant works — a well-balanced mix of the full range of artistic media including sculpture, painting, jewelry, photography, ceramics, quilting, woodworking, stone carving and more. Viewing the individual pieces, one can be forgiven for a momentary lapse in knowing where you are — with the quality of pieces unfolding as you stroll through the exhibit, you can easily believe you are in a gallery of fine art in New York City or Los Angeles.

The layout design teases viewers, masterfully directing the path you take, yet offering tempting glimpses through openings between walls of what’s to come.

Credit for the installation design goes again this year to Maui artist Joelle Chicheportiche Perz. She has installed Art Maui in the Schaefer space for the past several years. Along with her team of Art Maui board members and volunteers, Chicheportiche Perz directs each piece through what can be several moves until it finds its perfect home.

Upon entry to the exhibit, one particularly arresting photo titled “1896 — The Ban of the Hawaiian Language (2 of 2)” grabs your eye. This piece was submitted by one of last year’s recipients of the Art Maui High School Senior Scholarship Award — Lexi Figueroa.

In support of up-and-coming young artists, four students from Maui Nui high schools are selected each year as recipients of the $2,000 scholarship award. Chairperson of the award committee, Roberta Ann Weisenburg, visits Maui County high schools throughout the year as well as makes appearances at community outreach events to encourage all art students to apply.

Interested Maui County high school seniors in any public or private high school, including home-schooled students, are required to submit a portfolio of eight pieces of art completed during the 2018-19 school year. As Weisenburg has pointed out, just the act of applying helps these students learn the process of getting their portfolios in order for when they are ready to approach galleries in the future.

This year, scholarship recipients were Taryn Sato and Naomi Takakura from H.P. Baldwin High School in Wailuku, Kamahie Baricuatro from Kamehameha Schools Maui High School in Pukalani and Christian Cruz Carbajal from King Kekaulike High School in Makawao.

Wailuku Elementary Art Instructor Noble Richardson’s entry, “Hear My Voice,” a finely rendered oil on canvas of the ‘alala, or Hawaiian crow, reflects Richardson’s command of that medium. His use of a palette knife adds an interesting and appealing “roughness” to the painting, which fits the personality of these birds. This piece was selected as the publicity image for Art Maui 2020.

“Guava Lovah” by Chelsea Kohl and “Sea + Shapes” by Shawn Ardoin, appropriately installed next to each other, elicit smiles and giggles from viewers; the bright colors and delightfully playful pop-art influences are a refreshing addition to the numerous naturalistic pieces.

Be sure, too, to step far away before venturing a glance at Kathleen Kastles’ stitched work, “Stroller,” or a case of the dizzies may overtake you. Making the mistake of looking at it close up leaves viewers shaking their head, but upon seeing it from a distance, the sweet image of a child in its stroller becomes readily identifiable.

The meticulous attention to detail exhibited by the artists is apparent in each piece. Jae Ok Lee’s “Each Seed a New Life II” is a delicate study of seeds sequestered within cubbies of a wood printer’s box, each seed lovingly crafted from clay.

The life-size rendering of two roosters fighting in Fiama Von Schuetze’s natural fiber diptych, “The Cock Fight,” is not done justice by the photo seen above. One half-expects to hear the raucous screeching of two fighting birds while viewing this sculpture.

It is exciting to note, Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts has purchased “Evolving” by Rebecca Lewis, Richardson’s “Hear My Voice” as well as Von Schuetze’s “The Cock Fight.” These pieces now become part of the state’s public art program.

All items in Art Maui are available for purchase, and all proceeds from the sales support Art Maui along with the High School Senior Scholarship Award.

Art Maui is open to the public 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, as well as special evening hours prior to and during intermission of Castle Theater shows. Admission is free.

* Catherine Kenar can be reached at ckenar@mauinews.com.