2006 Catalyst Artist in Residence: Maria Elena Gonzalez

The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu
Installation on view: August 25- February 25, 2006

Waimanalo Beach Park
Installation on view: August 26- September 8, 2006

This August, The Contemporary Museum will present its third Catalyst Artist in Residence program. Our 2006 Catalyst Artist in Residence features Cuban-American artist Maria Elena Gonzalez in partnership with Honolulu Habitat for Humanity.

The mission of the Catalyst program is to foster community dialogue around contemporary issues through participation in the artistic process. Each Catalyst Artist in Residence program pairs an artist with a community organization in the creation of new artwork that highlights the vision of both artist and community.

The ideas that Maria Elena typically works with overlap with the day-to-day issues that Honolulu Habitat works to address. During her residency, Maria Elena will create two outdoor sculptures drawing from the Waimanalo home of the Kamaiopili Family. The Kamaiopili family’s home was rebuilt by Honolulu Habitat for Humanity and completed on July 1, 2006. One sculpture, Nani’s House, will be located at The Contemporary Museum in Makiki Heights and will recreate the floor plan of the family’s home at the museum. The other sculpture, The Muse at the Park, will be located at Waimanalo Beach Park and will recreate the floor plan of The Contemporary Museum.

In tandem, the sculptures will create a conceptual exchange between The Contemporary Museum and the Waimanalo community where the Kamaiopili family lives. They will also highlight the work that Honolulu Habitat for Humanity does to address the plight of affordable housing and the difficulty that families have achieving affordable housing. Anne Marie Beck, Executive Director of Honolulu Habitat for Humanity describes the organization’s work and participation in this collaboration as such:

Building and owning a Habitat home gives confidence to the families we work with and a sense of security. If you can build your own house, you can do just about anything. Families are proud of where they live. They start inviting people over and the home becomes more of a hub. This Catalyst residency and work with Maria Elena Gonzalez will help bring attention to our organization and to the difficulty that families have achieving affordable housing. This unique partnership will help Honolulu Habitat for Humanity serve more people and reach a different audience with our story.

The exchange and dialogue that Maria Elena's work is facilitating between Honolulu Habitat for Humanity and The Contemporary Museum are at the heart of this Catalyst program.

Residency Information