5th “Art at the Capitol” Planned on April 5

“View from the Plane” by Katsumi Yamashiro, 1984, watercolor, collage (located in Rep. Della Au Belatti’s office) – Credit: State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

By Wendy Osher

The 5th Annual “Art at the Capitol” event takes place on Friday, April 5, featuring 460 works by local artists that will be on display in the offices of state legislators.

The program is made possible through a collaborative effort between the Hawai‘i State Legislature and the Hawai’i State Art Museum.

The public is invited to view the artwork, which is featured in 48 offices at the State Capitol.

“The Three Not So Little Pigs & The Not So Big Not So Bad Wolf” by Jackie Lau Mild, 2007, ceramic-raku (located in Rep. Mark Nakashima’s office) – Credit: State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

Senator Brian Taniguchi, who led efforts for the Art at the Capitol event said in a press release, “We are fortunate to have these amazing works of art in our offices and we wanted to make it more convenient for people to come and see them all at once to get the full impact of the collection.”

Along with viewing the art collection, the event also features a documentary featuring artist Satoru Abe, who is known for his paintings and sculptures of abstracted natural forms, many of which resemble trees.

“Isami” by Satoru Abe, 1988, oil on canvas (located in Sen. Brian Taniguchi’s office) – Credit: State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

Rep. Della Au Belatti, who co-coordinates efforts from the House for Art at the Capitol, praised Abe’s work.

“He is the last surviving member of the Metcalf Chateau, the art enclave on Metcalf Street of seven young Asian American artists that included Tadashi Sato, who created the Aquarius mosaic in our Capitol rotunda,” she said. “Now in his late 80s, he still works in his outdoor studio at home, creating sculptures during the day and painting at night. He’s truly amazing.”

In addition to artwork, the Capitol event also features live chamber music from the Hawaii Youth Symphony Quartet #1 and #2.

Artists that will be in attendance include: Abe, Carol Ann Davis, Boris Huang, John Tanji Koga and Rochelle Lum.

The Art at the Capitol event is being held in conjunction with the First Friday activities in downtown Honolulu.