MACC Biennial 2025 Award winners announced

Maui Arts & Cultural Center has announced the winners of three top awards for the MACC Biennial 2025, a statewide juried exhibition currently on view at Schaefer International Gallery through Aug. 30.

Oʻahu-based artist Hannah Shun received the $10,000 Juror’s Choice Award for her hand-sculpted sterling silver work, “Lei: Hibiscus and Mejiro.” Maui artist Gwen Arkin was awarded $5,000 for Excellence in Two-Dimensional Media for her photographic installation “Endemic/Extinction,” and Hawai‘i Island ceramicist Kainoa Makua earned $5,000 for Excellence in Three-Dimensional Media for “ʻUmeke Lehua.”

The awards were selected by juror Elissa Auther, chief curator at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. Out of hundreds of submissions, Auther selected 44 works by 45 artists from across Hawai‘i, citing the technical prowess, explorative forms and conceptual depth of the finalists.

“Each artist set a very high bar for themselves in terms of their execution of the concept that they’re working with, and that really comes through in the finished work,” Auther said. “There is an elegance to all three pieces, which I think reflects their thoughtfulness in the ways the artists engage their respective materials, whether it’s sterling silver, ceramics or photography. Clearly, they’ve worked in these mediums for a long time, they understand the technique, they know what they can do with the technique, and they are using it in ways that show their level of confidence – this is almost a signature style for each of these artists.”

Shun’s award-winning piece was formed through anticlastic shaping (a technique of shaping metal into curved shapes) with repoussé and chasing (a process of hammering metal from the reverse side to create a low relief). She combined hibiscus motifs with the image of a mejiro bird in modular jewelry components that can be attached and detached to be worn as jewelry. “Receiving the Juror’s Choice Award gave me the confidence that it’s okay to bravely express myself in my own way,” Shun said.

Arkin’s 40-print installation highlights the extinction crisis facing Hawai‘i’s endemic plants. The upper row features lumen prints that react to light during exhibition, while the bottom row contains archival versions that retain a record of the originals. “I hope it continues to spark dialogue and encourages greater awareness in preserving Hawai‘i’s irreplaceable botanical heritage,” she said.

Makua’s ceramic vessel is patterned with imagery of the ʻōhiʻa lehua blossom, symbolizing his connection to Hawaiian tradition. “Growing up as a second-generation Native Hawaiian artist has been my greatest inspiration,” he said.

The MACC Biennial is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free admission. The exhibit runs through Aug. 30.

This exhibition is organized and presented by Maui Arts & Cultural Center and sponsored by the Barr-Campbell Family Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the County of Maui Office of Economic Development.