Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 8, 1 August 2001 — New gallery devoted to the arts of Hawaiʻi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

New gallery devoted to the arts of Hawaiʻi

By Caitriona Kearns The Academy of Arts has opened a gallery showcasing its permanent eolleelion of Hawaiian art as well as a temporary exhibition space for changing exhibits that focus on the arts of Hawai'i. Named the John Dominis and Patches Damon Holt Gallery in honor of their commitment to the preservation of the arts in Hawai'i, many pieces in the new gallery have been gifted to the museum by the family. It is located on the second floor of the newly constructed Luee Pavilion Complex. The gallery is devoted exclusively to indigenous Hawaiian art, early Western views of Hawai'i and the art of contemporary Hawaiian artists, and exudes a sense of plaee for the museum and for the arts in Honolulu. In 1922, Anna Rice Cooke obtained a charter for the museum from the Territory of Hawai'i, and established a home for her growing collection whieh included some rare pieces of Hawaiian art. These early pieces she collected, such as a 1 9th Century bed cover of red bark cloth, are now magnificently showcased in this new gallery and finally on view in a- permanent space accessible to the puhlie. On exhibit through Sept. 30 is the acclaimed exhibition of Ni'ihau shell leis, "Pūpū o Ni'ihau." Guest

curator Linda Moriarty was responsible for bringing this exhibit to life, with special permission from numerous lei artists, private eolleetors and institutions. "On Ni'ihau the tradition of sewing pūpū o Ni'ihau into lei

nas passea on umniei rupted from one generation to the other," explained Moriartv.

"Archaeological evidence ffom early sites on the rugged

north shore of Z Kaua'i facing m Ni'ihau, uneo- " vered wristlets of 4 pūpū o Ni'ihau. ^ In the oral traditions, Ni'ihau is J referred to as ; 'Moku o Kahelelani,' the island of Kahelelani, who was an ancient chief. Kahelelani is

also the name of the variety of tiny, multirr*lnrpH ehp.ll rnmmnnlv

used in lei pūpū o Ni'ihau."

In contrast with other traditional practices that have not survived, for example thi

making of feather cloaks and woven mats, Ni'ihau's traditional lei making has not only survived but eontinues to grow and evolve in these extraordinary shell leis. Featured in the exhibit are: a few early leis preserved from the 1 880s;

pūpū Kahelelani, the most tedious to collect, pierce and string, in warm pink, brown, mauve and gold-en-yellow, are up to 48 inches long, with as many as nine strands per lei; lei 'ōlepe, kuipapa from 1950, with one band of laree white

shells 24 inches long; |k and, 17 different wedB ding leis typically with

ten to 2U strands that measure

pr u p r to 75 inches

long. In the permanent collection on display is an exquisite feather lei from the 1 9th century, lei hulu, with yellow 'ō'ō and intermittent red 'apapane feathers bound with olonā fiber, that originally

belonged to the High Chiefess Kekau'ōnohi, a granddaughter of King Kameha-meha I. Also displayed is a feather eape from the 18th century made from 'i'iwi and 'ō'ō feathers, olonā fiber and netting. Historically, numerous Western painters while visiting the islands depicted their encounters of Hawai'i. These paintings comprise a significant part of the permanent collection. Some of these paintings displayed include: " The Lei Maker" from 1901, painted in oil by Theodore Wores, depicting a young girl seated on a woven mat stringing I a lei of the delicate blossoms of the | orange 'ilima that lie scattered at I her side; " Waterfall End of Road I 'īao Valley" from 1939, by I Georgia 0'Keefe, a small oil I painting of Maui's lush green valley with white descending waterfalls; and, "Moonlight and Southern Cross" from 1925, by Alexander Samuel Macleod, a luminous oil with radiant palms and the Southern Cross constellation visible low over the horizon. For further information about "Pūpū o Ni'ihau," or the John Dominis and Patches Damon Holt Gallery, eall the Honolulu Academy of Arts at 532-8700. ■ Academy photo: lei pūpū o Ni'ihau

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