Hawaii State Foundation for Culture and the Arts celebrates 50th anniversary

Alfred Preis was an architect by profession — a designer of notable structures in Hawaii, including the USS Arizona Memorial. It can also be said he was the architect of the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, which is celebrating its golden anniversary this year.

The HSFCA’s mission is "to promote, perpetuate, preserve and encourage culture and the arts, history and the humanities as central to the quality of life of the people of Hawaii." As the agency’s first executive director, Preis played an instrumental role in setting its goals and standards.

A half-century ago, in 1965, he was the state planning coordinator in charge of, in his words, the "aesthetic furtherance" of Hawaii. One day in March of that year, a lengthy report appeared on his desk with a letter stating that Congress was considering a bill to form a National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities. Recognizing an excellent opportunity, he drafted a bill to create a new state agency through which Hawaii could receive federal grants from the proposed foundation.

Twenty-five years ago, Preis was interviewed about his role in the foundation’s creation, as part of a commissioned oral history project connected to the HSFCA’s anniversary. When the bill to create a new agency came before the Hawaii Legislature, he recalled, Kauai Rep. Richard Kawakami took note, and called Preis in. "And he said that he doesn’t want to offend me, but he really doesn’t like the emphasis on history, that what we need in Hawaii is the cultivation of the various cultures in Hawaii, whether I would object to that.

"I said, ‘For heaven’s sake, no. I’d kick myself for not having thought of that myself.’ And we decided then to call it the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts."

On July 12, 1965, Gov. John Burns signed Act 269, establishing the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

The agency celebrates its 50th anniversary with a series of events at the Hawaii State Art Museum, beginning Friday and continuing through Sept. 29.

Hawaii was the first state in the country to establish an arts and culture organization. Shortly thereafter, on Sept. 29, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act into law.

Preis headed the HSFCA for 14 years and proved to be an innovative, dedicated, results-oriented leader. Two key programs were launched during his tenure: Art in Public Places and Artists in the Schools.

In 1967, the Legislature enacted a law designating 1 percent of the construction costs of new state buildings for the purchase and commission of works for the Art in Public Places program — also a first-in-the-nation achievement for Hawaii. That law was revised in 1989 to, among other things, increase the revenue source for Art in Public Places by contributing 1 percent of renovation costs for state capital improvement projects.

To date, the program has acquired more than 6,300 creations by 1,786 artists, the majority of whom hail from Hawaii. Temporary and permanent placements of those pieces are at public state-owned properties and buildings, including courthouses, schools, libraries, airports and colleges.

In 1970, HSFCA partnered with the Department of Education to establish the Artists in the Schools program, another noteworthy "first." Qualified teaching artists guide students at local elementary, middle and high schools in sessions revolving around dance, drama, music, and the literary and visual arts. Many of the artists incorporate core subjects such as math, language arts, science and social studies into their lessons.

Preis retired in 1980 and died in 1993, but the vision he had for the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts has continued to unfold.

During the past 50 years, the HSFCA has done much to color the tapestry of life in Hawaii.

Hired by Preis in 1976, Ron Yamakawa worked at the agency for 35 years, the last nine as its executive director. Although he retired in 2011, he keeps connected to the industry as an art consultant.

"When you think about it, ‘culture and the arts’ cover the full spectrum of the human experience — everything we do," Yamakawa said.

"Music, dance, poetry, paintings and other forms of creative expression invigorate us and enrich our lives. The HSFCA is a valuable resource, providing easy access to that for all."

The agency’s Folk & Traditional Arts program, established in 1983, formalized the HSFCA’s efforts to perpetuate the arts of Hawaii’s diverse cultural communities. Projects have run the gamut from Cantonese opera, Filipino kite making and Javanese gamelan drumming to Laotian embroidery, Japanese bon dance songs and Hawaiian featherwork, kapa (tapa) and ieie basketry. The HSFCA also provides grants to help masters of these arts teach the next generation of cultural practitioners.

One of the HSFCA’s most visible accomplishments has been the 2002 opening of the Hawaii State Art Museum, the site of the agency’s anniversary events.

HiSAM, as the museum is known, is housed in the No. 1 Capitol District Building. The 1927 building is listed on both the state and national registers of historic places.

Admission to HiSAM is free; its offerings include educational programs for children, special activities during First Friday and Second Saturday events, and four galleries showcasing works from the Art in Public Places collection.

Golden anniversary events

Fiftieth anniversary events for the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts are free; all will be held at the Hawaii State Art Museum. Go to sfca.hawaii.gov for a complete calendar of events:

>> First Friday: An Evening of Jazz, 6-8:30 p.m. Friday. Al Harrington emcees this jazz and contemporary music concert, with an emphasis on diversity and civil rights, featuring Ginai, Sherry Graham, the Chuck James Trio, Starr Kalahiki, Shari Lynn and “Little” Albert Maligmat performing on HiSAM’s second-floor courtyard, with special guest Wally Amos. The evening is presented by Hawaii Friends of Civil Rights and the Committee on the Advancement of African American Culture and the Arts.

>> Second Saturday: Family Day, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Enjoy live entertainment, cultural demonstrations, art classes and more, representing the many cultures of Hawaii. Taiko drumming, Okinawan dancers, steel and slack-key guitar musicians will be featured, with demonstrations of pottery, puppetry, weaving and tapa-making, and food vendors on site.

>> Art Lunch: “The Summer Fan” (“Uchiwa”), 12-1 p.m. Aug. 25. The Kikunobu Dance Company, featuring Gertrude Yukie Tsutsumi, will perform. Tsutsumi is one of the 2015 National Heritage Fellows, America’s highest award in folk and traditional arts.

>> Opening of “Hawaii: Change and Continuity,” 6-9 p.m. Sept. 4. Artist, educator and author Tom Klobe is the curator of this new exhibit at HiSAM, which features 130 paintings, sculptures and ceramics from the Art in Public Places collection, pictured, some of which have not been in a public exhibition before.

>> Art Lunch: Curating Change with Tom Klobe, 12-1 p.m. Sept. 29. Klobe will discuss the rewards and difficulties of curating a major art exhibition.