2018 Malama Wao Akua
Hui No‘eau and East Maui Watershed invites artists to honor Maui Nui’s native species
“Malama na Ohia” by Carmen Gardner. Photos courtesy the Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center
Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center and East Maui Watershed Partnership, both located in Makawao, invite artists to submit works for the 14th annual Malama Wao Akua, which opens Sept. 14 at the Hui. This fine art exhibition creatively merges the worlds of art and conservation by presenting works that honor Maui Nui’s — which comprises Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe — native plant and animal species.
Interested artists working in any medium are invited to create pieces depicting only species native to Maui Nui; a landscape showcasing only native Maui Nui species; or people working to protect Maui’s native species and native habitats from the mountain to the near shore reef.
This is a juried exhibition with entry categories open to adults as well as elementary, middle and high school students residing in Maui Nui.
Conservation juror Fern Duvall works closely with conservation agencies to enhance and conserve biodiversity and preservation of the most unique and pristine lands in the state. He was the Maui Nui non-game wildlife biologist for almost 25 years, and has worked closely with Maui’s seabirds, water birds and forest birds, as well as monitored native threatened and endangered plant status. Duvall is also chair of the Maui Nui Invasive Species Committee.
Art juror Mina Elison is curator at Kona Historical Society. Elisons’s background in anthropology, conducting oral history interviews and the visual arts has aided her aim to utilize the voices of the people to tell meaningful stories in the exhibitions she curates. Born and raised in Kailua, Oahu, Elison is inspired by the land, sea and people.
“Maui Loulu” by Kathleen Alexander
Several “Talk Story” Thursdays will take place during the exhibition, which opens Sept. 14 and runs through Nov. 9.
Prospectus and entry forms are available online at www.huino eau.com. Artists interested in entering the exhibit are encouraged to attend several unique opportunitie this month to learn about Maui’s native species, including hikes into The Nature Conservancy’s Waikamoi Preserve or Pohakuokala Gulch at Haleakala Ranch; Native Plant Marine Connections and Cultural Tour with Cultural Practitioner Ko’i Lum; tours of The Merwin Conservancy and more. Information on these events and how to sign up is available at www.mwa-art.org/blog or by calling 573-6999.
Receiving day for this exhibition is 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 28 at Hui No’eau, 2841 Baldwin Ave., Makawao.
