2019 Land & Sea Festival
On October 19th, 2019, Hawai‘i FEAST partnered with St. Andrew’s Schools and Connections Oceania and to host the 2019 Land & Sea Festival. The event was designed for communities across the Island of O‘ahu to come together to celebrate the ʻāina, empower youth to have a voice in climate change action, and prepare our island to be resilient and self-sufficient. The festival offered free, interactive workshops and talk story sessions, multi-cultural musical performances, live murals, and ʻāina and whale art activities.
Stories of Micronesia Gallery
At the April 27th, 2019 FEAST, local artist Lissette Yamase was awarded $600 to support her in creating an exhibit of charcoal and acrylic drawings that will help perpetuate the legends and values of Micronesia. Lissette is currently preparing the proposed gallery.
SymbioSEAS
In March, 2019, Hawai‘i FEAST partnered with the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology to host a month-long coral reef exhibit at the ARTS at Marks Garage. SymbioSEAS was cultivated by over 40 scientists, artists, and community organizers. These parties worked together for over a year to bring global awareness to the health & rehabilitation of our oceans and coral reef through a gallery that showcased coral ecosystems research through various 2-D and 3-D mediums. SymbioSEAS public programming included science and art communication workshops, theater performances, film screenings, and community dinners. As part of this effort, “FEAST + NERD NIGHT” was held on March 16, 6-9pm. At this event, seven groups of artists and scientists shared their experiences in creating a coral reef-inspired gallery. FEAST + NERD NIGHT raised over $2,300 to support SymbioSEAS.
Shadow Box Gallery
At the September 19th, 2018 Mental Health & Community Wellbeing FEAST, local illustrator Rose Ranada was awarded $850 to support her in creating a gallery that uses shadow imagery to contrast stories of despair and hope. Rose is currently preparing the gallery.
Transparency
At the July 13th, 2018 FEAST, held in conjunction with the Moana Lani Festival, local pianist Monika Haar was awarded $700 to support her creation of a piano piece and accompanying short film (titled “Transparency”) to bring awareness to the lifespan of plastic and its impact on marine life. Monika completed Transparency in early 2019 and screened it during the 2019 Honolulu Biennial.
“The Finch Will Flourish” / Hallway of Hope
At the May 10th FEAST, local artist and art educator Boz Schurr was awarded $800 to support her ongoing “Hallway of Hope” project. This project involves working with her students to create murals in Child & Family Service facilities that house women, children, and families freeing crisis situations. Boz Shurr also cultivated the June FEAST exhibition, The Finch Will Flourish. This exhibition focused on transforming public and private spaces into places that feel safe and inviting. The exhibition ran from June 1-15th, 2018 at the ARTS at Marks Garage, and included a First Friday opening celebration, community talk story, and film screening.
Daniel Akaka Mural
At the November 9th FEAST, local artists Jeff Kaneta (with Playground Art Crew), Lauren Chai, and Lauren Okumoto (both with Pena People) won $600 to support a mural of Daniel Akaka at the Kaneohe Elementary School. Daniel Akaka, the “Aloha Statesman”, was the first U.S. senator with native Hawaiian ancestry, and fought to bring the issues of the Hawaiian community to the national stage. On May 20th, 2018, a ceremony was held at Kaneohe Elementary to unveil the mural, where four generations of the Akaka family, along with staff and students of Kaneohe Elementary, celebrated the late senator Daniel Akaka by underscoring his mural with their handprints.
Honolulu Wetland Revival Project
At the first ever FEAST held on June 7th, 2017, winning artist Kayleigh Chalkowski was awarded $1000 for the Honolulu Wetland Revival Project – a series of life-size paintings of native wetland birds and plants along Pauahi St. Murals of the flora and fauna that once inhabited Chinatown were unveiled in the bulbout space along Nuuʻanu Ave and Pauahi St at the beginning of January, 2018.
Hawai'i Feast 