Hala ‘Observe & Play Family Day’ at Schaefer Gallery

Hala weaving exhibitions: Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai‘i and Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala. Photo provided by Jeane McMahon.

The public is invited to Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s “Observe & Play Family Day” event on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to noon at Schaefer International Gallery.

Visitors will receive a guided walk-through of the current exhibitions, Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai‘i and Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala, with an opportunity to meet lau hala artisans and watch a demonstration of their weaving techniques.

Attendees can also try their hand at working with the materials and make a small piece to take home.

An additional presentation by noted authors of ‘Ike Ulana Lau Hala—Ku‘uipolani Wong, Ph.D.; R. Kekeha Solis, Ph.D.; and Lia O’Neill M. A. Keawe, Ph.D—will be held in The MACC’s Alexa Higashi Meeting Room from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

All three authors are notable professors at the Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

The book provides a collection of articles and images about the Hawaiian tradition of ulana lau hala: the weaving, by hand, of dried Pandanus tectorius leaves. This text considers the hala leaf through several, very different lenses—an analysis of lau hala items in historic photographs from the Bishop Museum collections, the ecological history on hala and the serious challenges to its survival in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.

This panel presentation will open with a brief overview of ʻIke Ulana Lau Hala—the vitality and vibrancy of lau hala weaving traditions in Hawaiʻi. Each panel member will then discuss their contribution to the book.

The presentation will conclude with a Q&A session and is part of the Schaefer Gallery’s free public programming.

About the Authors

Annette Kuʻuipolani Wong, Ph.D.
Dr. Wong was born and raised on Ni‘ihau. She is an assistant professor at Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is also the coordinator for the Mānaleo (native speaker) program.

R. Kekeha Solis, Ph.D.
Dr. Solis was born and raised in Honolulu. He is an assistant professor at Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He is the executive producer of Ke Aolama, the creation and dissemination of news in the Hawaiian language. He is also the lead editor of “Kauakūkalahale,” a Hawaiian language newspaper column, published weekly in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Lia O’Neill M. A. Keawe, Ph.D.
Dr. Keawe was born on Oʻahu and raised on Hawaiʻi Island in Hilo. She is an associate professor at Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is the lead editor of ʻIke Ulana Lau Hala: the vitality and vibrancy of lau hala weaving traditions in Hawaiʻi.

Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai‘i was developed by Bishop Museum in cooperation with Michigan State University Museum and Hawaiʻinuiākea at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Funding for this exhibition was provided by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the Nordstrom Foundation.

Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala is presented by Maui Arts & Cultural Center and supported in part by Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, and County of Maui, Office of Economic Development.

LINK: The MACC Showcases Hawai‘i’s Lau Hala Weavers

Hala weaving exhibitions: Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai‘i and Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala. Photo provided by The MACC.

Hala weaving exhibitions: Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai‘i and Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala. Photo provided by The MACC.

Hala weaving exhibitions: Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai‘i and Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala. Photo provided by The MACC.

Hala weaving exhibitions: Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai‘i and Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala. Photo provided by Jeane McMahon.

Hala weaving exhibitions: Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai‘i and Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala. Photo provided by Jeane McMahon.

Hala weaving exhibitions: Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai‘i and Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala. Photo provided by Jeane McMahon.

Hala weaving exhibitions: Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai‘i and Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala. Photo provided by Jeane McMahon.

Hala weaving. Photo provided by Jeane McMahon.

Hala weaving exhibitions: Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai‘i and Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala. Photo provided by Jeane McMahon.

Hala weaving exhibitions: Nani I Ka Hala: Weaving Hawai‘i and Hō Mai Ka Hala: Bring Forth the Hala. Photo provided by Jeane McMahon.