The Contemporary Museum – Makiki Heights
2411 Makiki Heights Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822
Main: (808) 526-1322; Exhibition Info: 526-0232; Café Reservations: 523-3362
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release May 14, 2009
Contact: Charlie Aldinger, Director of Museum Advancement;
Ph: (808) 237-5231; Fax: (808) 536-5970; E-mail:
caldinger@tcmhi.org
Web Site: http://www.tcmhi.org
ArtSpree Activity Program
Spells FUN!
July 11, 2009; 10 a.m. –
4 p.m.; FREE & FAMILY FRIENDLY
From painting murals to painting faces,
the 16th annual ArtSpree
activity schedule spells FUN for all on July
11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the grand
gardens and intimate galleries of The
Contemporary Museum (TCM). ArtSpree
is TCM’s free annual open house hosted by
the Friends of TCM and generously sponsored
this year by Tori Keegan and Bill Lum. Other
contributors include HONBLUE, Inc., Honu
Group Inc., and Princeville Center.
Punahou School will once again provide
free parking for all visitors to
ArtSpree and TCM will offer free
continuous bus shuttle service to and
from the museum all day long. (Parking
onsite at the Museum is restricted to only
those with special handicaps—for those
requiring special parking arrangements call
(808) 526-1322, extension 10.)
According to volunteer chairperson
Brigitte Hahn-Miller, several volunteer
groups have already committed to help out
including the ‘Iolani and Punahou School Key
Clubs, the Serteens Club of Hawaii, and the
international women’s fraternity Hawaii
Chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta.
Among the activities in which kids can
participate is a giant canvas mural project
that will be situated in the tennis courts.
Under the supervision of celebrated art
teacher Cheri Keefer, the young at art can
help create a monumental-sized community art
project, which will be part collage and part
direct painting.
TCM’s Artist-in-Residence, San
Francisco artist Michael Arcega, will be
here for demonstrations and a hands-on
activity relating to his site-specific
installation of arboreal sculpture in the
gardens at TCM.
The Mokichi Okada Association (MOA) will
sponsor a mini flower-arranging
activity, Flower Circles. Floral
specialist Roy Otaguro and his ikebana
crew will help youngsters experience the art
of floral arranging by creating miniature
floral arrangements.
Dr. Joe Laszlo, a.k.a. Professor
Grandpoli, will be presenting Bizarre
Floating and Gliding Gadgets. Many of
you have made paper gliders, but have you
ever made a tube that will cause it to glide
through the air? Have you ever made a glider
with only rings? Have you heard of the
Ring-Wing Flier from Space Shuttle Flight
54? Come to the Professor’s booth and be
sure to bring a plastic shopping bag to take
home your creations.
Artist Shanda Freitas will be leading a
“green” sculpture activity using organic and
recycled materials to make a sculptural
artwork. Learn how to take discarded objects
and make art!
Hui-Mei Chang, who is experienced in
Chinese opera face painting, will head up
the always-popular face-painting booth. This
booth will take on a green theme this year,
in honor of the Yoshihiro Suda
floral exhibition that will be on view
in the galleries. Volunteers will use
children’s faces as a canvas for botanical
body painting. Imagine smiling daisies and
happy creeping vines illustrating the beauty
of nature on your youngster’s face.
Other activities include a clay art
project where kids can get their fingers
working lumps of clay into whatever shapes
their hearts’ desire. There is hardly a lull
in the activities all day long with ongoing
music and dance performances. And it’s all
provided free as a community outreach for
the museum, thanks to generous sponsorship
by Tori Keegan and Bill Lum.
This year’s performers include aerialist
troupe Samadhi Hawaii, stilt-walking clown
Loco Moco, Kealoha and the Youth Speaks
Hawaii Slam Poetry Team, Shaki Dance
Movement, hip hop dancers Intrepid n’Company,
martial arts demonstrations by Michael
Hamilton, and comedy improv by On the Spot.
Mermaids Hawaii will present a synchronized
swimming arrangement in the pool and cookie
entrepreneur Wally Amos will drop by to tell
a story or two. The galleries will be filled
with music by such entertainers as Les Peetz
and Rachel Gonzales, ukulele duo TJ and
Micah, and pianists Randy Ruff and Max
Bergmanis. In the TCM Café from 11:30 a.m.
until 1:30 p.m. will be Beau Albrechtson and
Keanu Lockwood. Lockwood and Albrechtson
will also perform in the galleries from 10
a.m. until 11 a.m.
The ArtSpree event is truly
a labor of love by a committee of volunteers
including Christine Feldman, Ashlynn Book,
Charles Degala, Kathy Ingoglia, Darlene
Reynon, Margery Ziffrin, Marsha Eaton,
Natalie Aczon, Sharlene Hara, Holly Ann
Marchant and Teri Ogawa.
ArtSpree was born in 1995, after
the non-profit support group, Friends of the
Contemporary Museum, hosted an open house to
celebrate the Museum’ 5th birthday. The
program enjoyed such a robust attendance and
was so well received by the community, the
Friends decided to repeat it annually. Now
in its 16th year, ArtSpree has
become one of the summer’s most popular art
events. (TCM celebrated its 20th anniversary
in October 2008.)
TCM’s Café will be open with both regular
menu items, specials of the day, and live
music from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
Reservations for lunch are recommended and
may be made by calling (808) 523-3362. The
Museum’s peaceful and picturesque grounds
with sprawling lawns and wide-open spaces,
make for a spacious location to hold the
popular event.
TCM’s galleries will also be open,
including David Hockney’s The Child and
the Enchantment, as well as the opening
day for the special exhibition,
Yoshihiro Suda. Japanese artist
Yoshihiro Suda (born 1969) is
internationally known for his installations
of delicate carved and painted wooden plant
life. Suda's sculptures of indigenous
Japanese plants and flowers, including
camellias, magnolias, and roses, as well as
common weeds, are meticulously created with
surprising realism and in true-to-life scale
that at times borders on the miniscule. The
artist carves these fragile pieces from
magnolia wood before hand-painting them with
traditional Japanese pigments to produce
exact replicas of these natural flowers.
This exhibition will be Suda’s second
solo museum show in the United States. For
his 2009 exhibition at The Contemporary
Museum, the artist will be making several
new works based on tropical flowers that are
found in Hawaii. This exhibition is
sponsored in part by The Hara Fund and the
Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
The Waikiki Parc Hotel and Japan Airlines
are providing in-kind sponsorship.
Also on view will be Michael Arcega’s
newest site-specific project,
Overlooks. This installation
features aboreal sculptures hanging from the
monkey pod trees in the gardens. This
artist-in-residence project is sponsored by
the Nimoy Foundation.
Also on view will be, Overlooks--several
large aboreal sculptures by San Francisco
artist Michael Arcega hanging in the monkey
pod trees. Through a grant from the Nimoy
Foundation, Arcega is participating in a TCM
Artist-in-Residence project.
The ArtSpree program schedule is as
follows:
Ringmaster MC See of Ong King Arts Center
tells children’s stories in rhyme and
introduces performers throughout the day.
Hip Hop Dances performed by Intrepid n’
Company
10:20 – 10:40 a.m.
Synchronized Swimming by Mermaids Hawaii
10:45 – 11:05 a.m. & 2:20 – 2:40 p.m.
Storytelling by Wally Amos
11:10 – 11:30 a.m.
Aerial Acrobatic Performance by Samadhi
11:35 – 11:50 a.m.
Shakti Dance Movement
Noon – 12:30 p.m.
Giinko Marischino
12:35-12:55 p.m. and 3:10-3:40 p.m.
Michael Hamilton Kung Fu Martial Arts
Demonstration
1 – 1:20 p.m.
On the Spot Comedy Improv
1:30 – 1:55 p.m.
Loco Moco – Juggler, Stiltwalker, and
Unicyclist
2 – 2:15 p.m.
Youth Speaks Hawaii & Kealoha - Slam
Poetry
2:45 – 3 p.m.
Tunes in the Galleries:
Beau Albrechtson and Keanu Lockwood
10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Max Bergmanis on Piano
11 a.m. – noon
Rachel Gonzales and Les Peetz
Noon – 2 p.m.
TJ and Micah – Ukulele Duo
2 – 3 p.m.
Randy Ruff – Solo vocal pianist
3 – 4 p.m.
In the TCM Café:
Beau Albrechtson & Keanu Lockwood
11:30 a.m. – 1: 30 p.m.
On the Lawn:
DJ bbq and Trav15 (Michelle Yokota &
Travis Tokuyama)
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Closing ceremonies by MC See
3:45 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Hands-on Activities:
Clay Play: Mold and shape your
own clay sculpture with artists Daven
Hee and Erin Yuasa.
A Garden of Artists: Join ‘Iolani
art teacher Cheri Keefer in creating a
garden on canvas.
Flower Circles: The Mokichi Okada
Association (MOA) and floral specialist
Roy Otaguro and his ikebana crew
will help youngsters experience the art
of floral arranging by creating
miniature floral arrangements.
Fun with Faces: Theatre artist
Hui-Mei Chang, who is experienced in
Chinese Opera face painting, and her
talented painters create beautiful
botanicals on your face and body.
Bizarre Floating and Gliding Gadgets:
Professor Grandpoli will be presenting
Bizarre Floating and Gliding Gadgets.
Make a paper glider with a tube that
causes it to float through the air.
Artist-in-Residence: San
Francisco artist Michael Arcega will be
here for demonstrations and a hands-on
activity relating to his site-specific
installation of arboreal sculpture at
TCM.
ArtSpree is a summer highlight
and entry is free of charge, thanks to
generous sponsors Keegan and Lum. For more
information about The Contemporary Museum,
ArtSpree 2009, or the
Yoshihiro Suda and Overlooks
exhibitions visit our website at
www.tcmhi.org;
Exhibition Info: (808) 526-0232; Reception:
(808) 526-1322. Third Thursdays are free
entry days!
-end-
General Information:
The Contemporary Museum - Makiki Heights
Entry: One-Day Membership Pass - $8 Adults; $6 Students & Seniors; Members & Children 12 and
under are free. (Cost of a one-day pass may be applied to the cost of an annual membership on
the day of issue.) It is always free to visit the Museum Shop or The Contemporary Café. Third
Thursdays are free entry days! Museum and Shop Hours: Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.;
Sunday from Noon to 4 p.m.; Closed Mondays and major holidays. The Contemporary Café Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Sunday from Noon to 2:30 p.m. Café
Reservations: (808) 523-3362. Docent Tours: Tuesday-Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Cades Library Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m.; or by special appointment. Parking: Free. On The Bus: #15
to Makiki Heights Drive-stops in front of the Museum. Address: 2411 Maikiki Heights Drive,
Honolulu, HI 96822. Exhibitions/Events Line: (808) 526-0232. Tours/Administration: (808)
526-1322; Web Site: www.tcmhi.org. Membership: (808) 237-5219.
The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center: Entry: Free. Hours: Monday-Thursday from
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Closed on weekends and banking holidays;
First Fridays: 7-9 p.m. Docent Tours: Third Thursdays at Noon. Parking: TCM Members enjoy
validated parking at FHC. Address: 999 Bishop Street, Honolulu, HI 96813.
For all press inquiries, please contact Charlie Aldinger, Director of Museum Advancement, at (808)237-5231
or via e-mail at caldinger@tcmhi.org.
