Maui arts teacher awarded $8,000 for Hale Mahaolu kupuna arts program

Maui jewelry artist and arts teacher Julie Matheis, in partnership with Hale Mahaolu, has been awarded $8,000 from the Hawai‘i Community Foundation as part of its new Museum Without Walls Arts Education Initiative.

Matheis will lead Hale Mahaolu’s “Connecting Kūpuna through the Arts” residency, a 12-session visual arts program for senior citizens in two adjacent low-income housing complexes, according to an announcement from the foundation. The first six sessions will focus on community-building activities, creating paintings, chess sets and checkerboards for public display. The following six sessions will guide participants on independent sketching and watercolor painting as ways to promote personal artistic growth.

Statewide, the foundation awarded $72,800 to 10 arts education programs. The Museum Without Walls Arts Education Initiative is a collaborative effort with the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. The initiative is dedicated to making arts education accessible to communities that face barriers and challenges in accessing these resources.

The grants will support diverse programs through the end of this year. They will offer arts education opportunities outside of traditional school settings to participants ranging from keiki to kūpuna. Each residency, a partnership between a teaching artist from the state foundation’s Artistic Teaching Partners Roster and a local community organization, will focus on increasing engagement with and appreciation of works of art in the Art in Public Places (APP) Collection.

HCF Program Director Elise von Dohlen said: “This new pilot program provides an opportunity for experienced teaching artists to partner with community organizations to bring a diverse array of arts including dance, music, printmaking, painting, and more through residencies designed to meet the needs and interests of community members.”

Karen Ewald, SFCA executive director, said: “SFCA is excited to expand our partnership with HCF to support arts education in the community. With residencies focused on works of art in the Arts in Public Places Collection, we are reaching youth in rural communities, low-income seniors, and others in the community who experience barriers to accessing arts education.”

Other new grantees of the Museum Without Walls Arts Education Initiative are:

Hawaiʻi Island

• Bonnie Sol Hahn in partnership with Koana Cultural Community: Awarded $8,000 for the “Introduction to Printmaking” residency, providing printmaking techniques to the rural Mountain View community.

Kauaʻi

• Ashiya Carter in partnership with Boys & Girls Club of Hawai‘i – Kapa‘a Clubhouse: Received an $8,000 grant for the “5, 6, 7 Create!” residency, where youth will create a narrative story and choreography inspired by the art piece “Pondering the Truth” by Joey Chiarello.
• Kayti Lathrop in partnership with Kilauea Neighborhood Association: Received $8,000 for the “Mo’oleleo Mural Magic” residency, involving the community in creating a collaborative mural.
• Lotus Arts Foundation in partnership with Alakaʻi o Kauaʻi Charter School: Received $8,000 for the “Rhythmscapes: Creating Harmony Through Motion Derived from Art” residency, culminating in a performance art piece.

Oʻahu

• Rayna Galati from Create with Clay Hawai‘i Inc. in partnership with Pālama Settlement: Received an $8,000 grant for the “Pālama Settlement Kupuna Clay” residency, focusing on clay projects for kūpuna in the Kalihi Palama area.
• Fatiha Kheddaoui in partnership with Residential Youth Services and Empowerment: Granted $7,817 for the “Art Residency with Ryse Hawai‘i Youth and Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness,” focusing on fiber arts and photography.
• Honolulu Theatre for Youth in partnership with Better Tomorrows at the Towers at Kuhio Park: Received $6,000 for the “Sharing Our Stories” residency, encouraging young residents of Kuhio Park Towers to create and perform stories that celebrate their diverse cultural backgrounds and personal experiences.
• Sheanae Tam in partnership with Ulu Aʻe Learning Center: Received $8,000 for the Kūlewa Summer Art Program, an 8-week art exploration program involving huaka‘i to ʻāina-based sites.
• Tamara Moan in partnership with The Plaza at Kāneʻohe: Awarded $3,011.56 for the “Collage Your Life” residency, focusing on exploring and expressing life experiences through collage.