Juried Biennial Exhibition runs July 5 to Aug. 6 at MACC’s Schaefer International Gallery

Maui Arts & Cultural Center announced the opening of the inaugural edition of the MACC Biennial—a new, statewide juried exhibition showcasing the voices of artists from across Hawai‘i through an open call for contemporary work.

Artists participating in the exhibit represent four islands with 11 from O‘ahu, five from Kaua‘i, seven from Hawai‘i Island and 15 from Maui.

The exhibition dates are July 5 to Aug. 26, 2023 at Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Schaefer International Gallery.

“It’s been an exciting process to see this initiative come together, from our initial spark of developing a new biennial exhibition, to the announcement of the open call, through the rigorous jurying process, and finally the assembly of the selected artworks in our gallery space. The enthusiastic response we saw from artist communities across Hawai‘i underscores the importance of these types of accessible opportunities, and the fully realized exhibition presents a unique cross-section of the compelling work happening across the islands,” said Gallery Director Jonathan Clark.

Jurying for the exhibition took place during Spring of 2023. Artists residing in Hawai‘i had the opportunity to submit newly created work in a variety of media including painting, printmaking, sculpture, textile, mixed media, photography, video, installation, and new media. Works were considered over the course of a competitive two-round jurying process, with all works reviewed digitally for Round 1 and selected works proceeding to Round 2 for in-person observation at four island sites on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i Island, and Maui. Inclusion in this exhibition comes with the valuable opportunity for public exposure in Schaefer International Gallery and the chance to be considered for three substantial cash awards.

The juror for this exhibition is Dr. Andreas Marks, the Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese and Korean Art and Director of the Clark Center for Japanese Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Dr. Marks, who has curated exhibitions in a variety of media from pre-modern to contemporary art and visual culture at 38 museums, said, “Contemporary art should be free and without boundaries, but it can respond to the past to lead to new findings. Most importantly, it has to excite with compelling ideas and accomplished technique.”

His selection of 40 artworks by 38 artists represents a cross-disciplinary spectrum of conceptual depth, technical prowess, and explorative forms. The artists selected to participate in MACC Biennial 2023 are Enrico Battan, Rick Beck, Carol Bennett, Henry Bianchini, Dennis Chamberlain, Melissa Chimera, Sandra Clark, Charles Cohan, Aspen Dewey, Judah Ebberson, Sally French, Robert Gann, Barclay Hill, Caroline Holmes, Dennis Holzer, Joyce Jeffers, Eduardo Joaquin, Claudia Johnson, Linda Kāne, Sook Kim, Codie M. King, Zenobia Lakdawalla, Mary Ann Leigh, Ethel Mann, Sheri Levin McNerthney, Meleanna Aluli Meyer, Daniel Moe, Bon Moore, Jim Powlan, Madalyn Purcell, Abigail Romanchak, Annamarie Sheehan, Bruna Stude, Erik Sullivan, Susan Thomas, Ricardo Vasquez, Keith Yurdana, and Wayne Zebzda.

Artist Awards – MACC Biennial 2023 will include three significant cash awards selected by the juror to recognize works of outstanding merit:

• Juror’s Choice Award for $5,000
• Award of Excellence in Two-Dimensional Media for $2,500
• Award of Excellence in Three-Dimensional Media for $2,500

The recipients of each award will be announced upon the opening of the exhibition.

Schaefer International Gallery is open during exhibitions from Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., as well as before select performances in Castle Theater and Yokouchi Pavilion.

Admission is FREE and open to the public.

For the latest updates on the MACC Biennial, log on to: mauiarts.org/maccbiennial2023.

This exhibition is presented by Maui Arts & Cultural Center and supported in part by the County of Maui – Office of Economic Development, and Hawai‘i Tourism Authority through the Community Enrichment Program.