Piko

CONTEMPORARY PIKO AND HOEA ARTISTS' WORKS
ON EXHIBIT EXHIBIT PREMIERS IN HAMILTON
LIBRARY'S BRIDGE GALLERY
The UH Mnoa Library premiered contem-
porary works from artists of the 2007 PIKO
Gathering and the HOEA Native Hawaiian Art
Project in Hamilton Library's Bridge Gallery
from June 6 - August 28, 2011.

Curated by artist Harinani Orme, the exhib-
it featured diverse mediums of 170 works
by 73 PIKO and HOEA artists that included
kumu, haumana, and Keomailani Hanapi
Foundation (KHF) board and steering com-
mittee members.

In 2007, the PIKO Gathering of 115 indigenous visual artists (23 First Nations, 38 Maori, 6
Pacifi c Islanders, and 48 Native Hawaiians) was held in Waimea on Hawai`i Island. The PIKO
Gathering consisted of three days of cultural exchanges, fi ve days and nights of art making
by PIKO artists that produced 136 pieces of art in drawing, painting, printmaking, jewelry,
glass, ceramics, wood, stone, fi ber, and video.

It was this gathering that sparked the launch of Hawaiian `Ohana for Education in the Arts
[HOEA], an innovative three-year pilot project for Native Hawaiian art education spon-
sored by the Keomailani Hanapi Foundation [KHF], and funded through grants from the
Administration for Native Americans [ANA], Offi ce of Hawaiian Affairs [OHA], the Richard
Smart Foundation and Hawai i Tourism Authority.

The HOEA Studio Program is a post-secondary level art school for emerging and profession-
al artists that aims to develop participants' art skills to higher levels by working closely
with Hawaiian and indigenous master artists. This unique approach to arts education is
inclusive and intergenerational with a focus on contributing services to artists in the Ha-
waiian community. HOEA's master kumu are dedicated to teaching from the wellspring of
Hawaiian culture and tradition, as well as contemporary art forms by creating deep and
lasting opportunities for all. HOEA also has
a public showcase for artists, called the PIKO
Gallery, which opened in 2010 in Waimea.

HOEA sponsors the HOEA Market, which pro-
vides an opportunity for Kanaka Maoli artists
to showcase and sell their art. The organiza-
tion's goal is to build a Community Art Center
in the target community of Waimea, South Ko-
hala, Hawai'i Island and establish a post-sec-
ondary School of Hawaiian Fine Arts.

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