Hui Noeau offers traditional Hawaiian crafts

The ceramics classes that Anne-Marie Forsythe took at Hui Noeau as a child were escapes into the wonderful world of whimsy. She remembers marveling at the magic of clay, which she transformed into cows, donkeys, pinch pots — whatever popped into her head.

“My pieces were certainly not perfect and maybe not even what you’d describe as attractive, but since I had made them, they were treasures to me,” Forsythe said. “Discovering the amazing things you can make with your own hands can be an exciting and rewarding experience, whether or not you consider yourself to be a creative person.”

Forsythe has worked at Hui Noeau, the hub of arts activities on Maui, for 11 years. As its program director, she oversees a full schedule of offerings, from camps that invite kids to “build, design, dance, sing and play their way through a variety of artistic activities” to classes in glassblowing, ikebana, metal-smithing and iPhone photography for adults.

Launched in 2009, Art With Aloha focuses on Hawaiian arts and handicrafts, bringing skilled practitioners from around the state to the hui to lead a free demonstration followed by a one- or two-day for-fee workshop that delves deeper into subjects such as basketry, woodcarving and feather work.

DENBY Freeland recently led a kapa- making demonstration and a workshop on kapa dyes made from a wide variety of native and Polynesian-introduced plants, including mao (which yields green), ukiuki (blue), olena (yellow), kukui (brown) and koa (orange-brown).

The class description said, “Willingness to get dirty and to experiment recommended,” and students were indeed hands-on with the preparation of materials, including washing leaves and roots, peeling fruit, cutting bark and slicing stems. They also cracked and burned kukui nuts, collected the soot and mixed it with the liquid from boiled kukui bark to make black dye.

“Experiencing the steps involved to produce kapa and kapa dyes showed them how innovative, intelligent and enterprising our Hawaiian ancestors were,” Freeland said.

“As we revive the ancient art of kapa, it’s important to be mindful of the reality of our modern times, which is limited natural resources. Throughout the workshop I emphasized the necessity of growing our own plants. Conservation is key; it is no longer acceptable to collect plants in the forest for personal use.”

Hawaiians practiced sustainability long before it became a catchphrase. According to Forsythe, Art With Aloha draws people who are looking for authentic Hawaiian experiences away from resorts, shopping centers and other commercial venues and who want to gain insights into the historical and cultural significance of traditional arts as well as their application today. It connects visitors and kamaaina with practitioners who openly share their manao (knowledge), believing that doing so helps generate respect for and understanding of the Hawaiian culture.

“Like the hui’s other programs, Art With Aloha fosters a free-flowing exchange of ideas and immerses participants in a welcoming environment that sparks new interests and inspires them to stretch their imagination and discover skills and talents they never knew they had,” Forsythe said. “Art is enriching and empowering. Learning about art, appreciating art and making art are paths to well-being — to healing, hope and happiness.”

Visiting the Hui

Hui Noeau’s hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. During a free self-guided tour, read about its history, view the exhibits and studios and stroll around the property at your leisure. You’re welcome to bring a picnic lunch.

Guided 60-minute walking tours are offered Monday and Wednesday at 10 a.m. Cost is $12 per person, including a copy of the 30-page, full-color “Kaluanui: Plants at the Hui” guidebook. Advance reservations are not required unless you would like to order a $30 picnic lunch.

The Hui welcomes tax-­deductible donations and new members. Annual dues start at $45.

Kaluanui Centennial Festival & Family Day

In 1917, Harry Baldwin and his wife Ethel moved to Kaluanui, their elegant Mediterranean-style mansion in Upcountry Maui, which had been designed by famed architect C.W. Dickey. Harry was president of Maui Agricultural Co., president of Maui Telephone Co. and Maui Publishing Co., territorial senator and, from 1922 to 1923, congressional delegate in Washington, D.C., fulfilling the term of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole who had died in office.

Hui Noeau, meaning “people coming together for the development of artistic skill,” began in 1934 as a group of about 20 women who met at Kaluanui at the invitation of Ethel and her daughter, Frances Baldwin Cameron, to paint, sip tea and discuss art. Kaluanui became the Hui’s official headquarters in 1976 when it received a lease from Maui Land & Pineapple, then-owner of the property, for $1 per year. In 2005, thanks to a community fundraising campaign, the Hui was able to purchase its longtime home for $5 million.

Kaluanui will celebrate its 100th anniversary from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 22 at the Kaluanui Centennial Festival and Family Day. Planned are hands-on art activities, a scavenger hunt for kids, tours of the estate, live music, hula, taiko drumming and a market featuring Made on Maui products. Food trucks will be selling lunches and snacks.

That will be the last day to view “Kaluanui Centennial: 10×10.” One hundred two- and three-dimensional works that fit in a 10-by-10-by-10-inch space were selected for this commemorative exhibit.

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.