Thousands of out-of-towners will converge on Honolulu this week for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings. And while the international gathering will attract Hawaii-born President Barack Obama and other heads of state, there’s little chance for regular folks to participate.
But you don’t have to feel left out. Here are some APEC-inspired ideas to help you do your part to improve foreign relations and practice globalism.
Art exhibits, musical performances and talks present a range of cultural activities
APEC is all about economics, but to understand the issues it’s essential to gain insight into the cultural and historical aspects of our Pacific Rim neighbors.
These events around town can help:
» Art treasures from China. The Honolulu Academy of Arts is hosting what is considered one of the most important exhibits of Chinese paintings in modern times. That’s not just hype. "Masterpieces of Landscape Painting from the Forbidden City" features more than 50 paintings from the vaults of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Some date back 800 years and were painted by some of the most significant artists in Asian history.
"These are artists that, in the history of East Asian art, are of the same stature and level of influence as Leonardo Da Vinci or Michelangelo or Caravaggio," said co-curator Shawn Eichman, speaking of four artists who painted during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), all of whom are represented in the exhibit.
The Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty was considered a pivotal moment in China, precipitating a cultural crisis that led to a "new paradigm in the arts up to the present day," he said, with artists painting as a form of personal expression rather than for solely for the imperial court. None of the paintings in the display have been outside of China, said Eichman, adding that even in that country opportunities to see them are few and far between.
The academy has built a replica of a scholar-artist’s studio as a gallery for the paintings, and has a full slate of lectures scheduled in conjunction with the display. Although its opening is scheduled to coincide with APEC, the exhibit will be here through Jan. 8.
The Honolulu Academy of Arts is at 900 S. Beretania St., phone 532-8700; open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. Sundays; entrance fee is $10 adults, $5 children ages 4-17, free for members and children 3 and under.
» Ceramics exhibit. The University of Hawaii-Manoa’s Art Gallery presents "East-West Ceramics Collaboration V," featuring the works of artists from several APEC countries, including Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mexico, China, Taiwan, Thailand and the U.S. The exhibit runs through Dec. 10. The gallery, in the Art Building at 2535 McCarthy Mall, is open 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays.
» Alterna*APEC. A group of artists and civic activists is sponsoring this art exhibit and forum on APEC-related topics. "It’s the opportunity to invite dialogue around the notions that are represented by APEC," said Noelle Kahanu, one of the co-curators of the event along with UH professor Jaimey Hamilton and Rich Richardson of the ARTS at Marks Garage.
Some of the topics targeted by forums and performances include women’s economic issues and the environment. Artists from APEC countries and Pacific Island nations, as well as Native Hawaiian artists, submitted work for the display, Kahanu said.
"It’s a good diverse grouping of artists. It’s not just visual arts, but it’s performance art and poetry," she said, adding that the events are not necessarily "anti-APEC."
The art exhibit at ARTS at Marks Garage, 1159 Nuuanu Ave., runs through Nov. 19; gallery hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays.
Alterna*APEC also is sponsoring a forum in the auditorium in the UH art building, 2535 McCarthy Mall, 5-7 p.m. today.
» The gong show. The "Music and Dance of Bali" will be featured in the adult reading section at Pearl City Public Library at 11 a.m. today when performers I. Made Widana and Anna Reynolds demonstrate a variety of traditional Balinese music and dances. The ensemble includes gongs, bronze metallophones of various sizes, double-headed drums and flutes. The free one-hour program is suitable for all ages, although children must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver.
The library is at 1138 Waimano Home Road. For more information, call 453-6566.
» Presidential appearance. Rub elbows with the Filipino community’s elite at a Philippine Consulate and Filipino Chamber Commerce of Hawaii dinner with President Benigno Aquino III at 5:30 p.m., Nov. 13 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Thecost is $75 per person. RSVP by Monday by contacting Claire Orodio at 779-2379 or filipinochamberhi@ gmail.com.
» Obama’s mama. Stanley Ann Dunham, President Barack Obama’s mother, was a cultural anthropologist who spent years studying economic development in Indonesia. Her work centered on microfinancing — small lending to low-income entrepreneurs who lack access to normal banking services.
The East-West Center Gallery celebrates her life and work in "Through Her Eyes: Ann Dunham’s Field Work in Indonesia," an exhibit of her notes, photographs, souvenirs and personal artifacts that runs through Jan. 8.
A companion event from 2 to 3 p.m. today is "S. Ann Dunham: An American Soul Forged in Indonesia," a talk by UH faculty members Nancy Cooper and Alice Dewey, who were both friends of Dunham. Nov. 13, at the same time, Dharm Bhawuk of the UH Shidler Business School will lecture on "Understanding Microfinance."
The center gallery, 1601 East-West Road in Manoa, is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays.
» Obama-rama. An exhibit at the Japanese Cultural Center of Honolulu, "Obama no Obama" (Obama’s Obama), explores aspects of celebrity and image using the connections between President Obama and a Japanese town of the same name.
Obama’s political success has struck a chord with residents of Obama-shi, a Japanese village north of Kyoto. In 2006, when then-Sen. Obama visited, he told an interviewer that Japanese immigration officials looked at his visa and said he must be from the town of Obama. As his presidential campaign got under way, officials in Obama-shi, a former fishing village now known as a tourist spot, sought to capitalize on the connection. Soon items with Obama’s name and likeness were popping up all over. Some of these items, such as clothing, food and chewing gum, will be in the display, along with Obama memorabilia from Hawaii.
"The exhibition explores the international ties between politics and celebrity, focused specifically on U.S. President Barack Obama," said exhibit curator Christine Yano in a news release. "
The exhibit, which opened Saturday and runs through Dec. 2, was timed to coincide with APEC. An opening ceremony at 5 p.m. Thursday features Obama’s half sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, the mayor of Obama-shi, Koji Matsuzaki, and the village’s Obama Girls and Boys hula troupe. The exhibit at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, 2454 S. Beretania St., is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays.
