Hawaii Craftsmen

Estimate Timeline of projected activities
− July 15 – October 4, 2019: Annual Statewide Juried Exhibition (16 activities)
o 1 Exhibition-online and in person jury on 4 islands
o 5 Receptions-4 at lectures, 1 at exhibition
o 4 Lectures on 4 islands
o 2 Workshops-Oahu; fiber, glass

− September 1 – December 5, 2019: Raku Hoolaulea (7 activities)
o 2 Demonstrations-clay, tea ceremony
o 1 Lecture
o 1 Workshop at 3 day Campout
o 1 Exhibition-jury at campout
o 2 Receptions-1 at lecture, 1 at exhibition

− January – March 2020: Aha Hana Lima (11 activities)
o 5 Workshops-3 Oahu, 2 Neighbor Island; glass, metal, fiber
o 3 Lectures
o 3 Receptions at slide lectures

− Spring/Summer 2020: Fiber Hawaii (6)
o 1 Exhibition-in person jury
o 1 Lecture
o 2 Receptions-1 at lecture, 1 at exhibition
o 1 Workshop

Our programs are designed for emerging and professional artists and craftsmen. They typically work with glass, metal, wood, fiber, clay or stone. Our members span generations from founding members (we have several Living Treasures on our roster) to students in art school.

Raku Hoolaulea targets families, including seniors, college and school age artists. There is a special award category for raku participants age 17 and under. Aha Hana Lima workshops are planned for mature artists in high school and up and scholarships are awarded to select full time students. All our exhibitions are held in barrier free/accessible venues and are open to all for viewing and participation as entrants. We serve the very young at HISAM 2nd Saturday and honor our venerated Kupuna artists as invited artists and subjects of video archive projects.

We take seriously our commitment to reach artist across the state and are the only arts organization to send our jurors to the neighbor islands to select work for our annual exhibition. We plan workshops on neighbor islands each year. On average, 20% or our membership (300+/-) is from the neighbor islands. Membership is available for individuals, students, families and seniors w/discount rates for the latter three.

Hawaii Craftsmen members have supported the basic programs for 51 years. FY 2020 is the 52nd annual Annual Exhibition, the 43rd annual Raku Hoolaulea, the 43rd Aha Hana Lima and the 19th Fiber Hawaii Exhibition. We have a robust and accessible archive of our past programs for new board members and chairs to review. Over time we have learned much about what our membership wants and what our volunteers are able to provide.

Each program chair is a board member and program budgets, timelines, activities, venues and guest artists are discussed and approved at the board level. The board keeps a running list of potential teachers and jurors and continues to solicit recommendations from its membership. When it is time to select a guest artist the chair communicates with the potential candidates re availability and fees and makes a recommendation to the board for approval.

Each chair works with the board and office manager to develop program materials including registration information and follow up communications and exhibition catalogues. For the annual exhibit this also includes setting up an online registration system and more recently and online sales platform for all the exhibitions. The chairs work with the board to develop contracts and fee payments for guest artists and with the bookkeeper for payments of invoices and reimbursements. They also work with the guest artists and the venue hosts to ensure the program space, along with all needed materials and supplies, meet everyone’s needs. The chair is also responsible for providing follow up numbers and evaluations for the boards assessment and funding reports. We try to have each chair work with a co-chair so that there will be seamless transitions from volunteer to volunteer year after year.

Because we have been a part of the mainstream arts community for so long artists and the public know what to expect from our programs – consistency and quality. We average 300 current members each year and we have a solid mailing list of supporters and media. Our website and social media sites, updated regularly by our office manager, helps get the word out about our programs and activities.

For over 50 years we have advanced arts and culture in Hawaii through advocacy and support of our member artists, including Native Hawaiian artists. Our programs, exhibits and workshops, build artistic expertise, business capacity and community amongst working artists throughout the state. Additionally many of Hawaii Craftsmen members are teachers and provide quality arts education to youth and college age students.

Our programs are distinct in that we are truly statewide, reaching all corners of the rural neighbor islands, because we send our juror and teaching artists to the neighbor islands and we subsidize shipping art to Honolulu for the annual exhibition. We also provide scholarships and travel stipends for neighbor islanders. We include at least one person from each of the major neighbor islands on our board of directors and subsidize travel or facilitate remote telecommunications to ensure their participation at our monthly meetings. These board members are the voice of our neighbor island members.

The halls of the State Capitol and the Hawaii State Art Museum are filled with works of art created by Hawaii Craftsmen members for the public to enjoy and appreciate. Lectures and exhibitions are publicized, free and open to the public supporting increased awareness and appreciation of culture and arts as well as making work available for purchase benefiting artists and patrons thus contributing to the local economy. We prominently display the HSFCA logo on all our material to ensure recognition of their support is shared with all our audiences.