Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
For that one-of-a-kind gift this holiday season, shoppers can go on a treasure hunt in Honolulu’s art galleries for original items made by local artists.
The Koa Art Gallery at Kapiolani Community College is hosting its 19th annual Mixed Media Miniature exhibition featuring hundreds of unique creations by 150 artists. Prices range from $20 to $800 and up, with everything in small scale.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” said Lisa Shiroma, Koa Art Gallery manager. “Paintings, photographs, metal sculptures, jewelry, ceramics — we have pretty much everything under the sun.”
This year’s featured artist is 97-year-old Esther Nowell, who creates ceramic figurines as well as whimsical illustrations of cats. Nowell has been working with clay for more than 70 years and has always participated in the Koa Art Gallery’s miniature show, which this year runs through Dec. 17.
For the past decade the Honolulu Museum of Art School has offered an annual sale of work by students and instructors, which this year will include at least 2,500 items by nearly 100 artists. The sale, which ends Nov. 27, benefits its studio facilities for everything from metalwork to ceramics, glass fusion and weaving. Among artists participating this year are Brenda Ching, Andy Cole and Kaori Vaughn.
Gallery ‘Iolani at Windward Community College, the Cedar Street Galleries and Louis Pohl Gallery in Honolulu Chinatown are also offering works by local artists for the holidays.
For specialized items, woodworkers are offering a sample sale of everything from earrings to coasters and furnishings, while the Windward Potters is offering exquisite stoneware and raku and the Honolulu Printmakers are presenting original prints from artists’ portfolios.
72