HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0338.001 1998-2000 EAST HAWA1~1 CULTURAL CENTER
June 15, 1999
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County Coundl Members O C7 c
25 Aupuni Street C z ~7
Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Z ~ T;
EHCC LEASE ~ ~ _-I" I
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Dear Coundl Member, _ ~ 3 I Tl
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In May of this year Mayor Yamashiro contacted me in my position as Chairman of the E~st`Fiawa,~i' Cutural
Council Board to inform me of a "conceptual plan" that he is considering in regard to the~ld PoFse Station
Building, which we lease from the County. Our lease comes up for renewal at the end of December 2000, and
the Mayor indicated that he wants to move the Merrie Monarch offices here and put a Hula Museum in the
building. The Guttural Coundl has been offered space in the remodeled JC Penneys building.
In subsequent conversations with other community members, and me, the Mayor stated that he has not
discussed his plan wtth Dottie Thompson or any of the Hawaiian organizations. As we understand it, he is
looking for a way to highlight and market hula on a year-round basis. While we agree that a fadlity for
pertormance, workshops, archives and a museum are a necessity, there have been many objections raised to
the use of the Kalakaua Street sight. And while the Mayor expressed his desire to create a historical condor
downtown, bring tourists to the downtown area, and in general breathe more life into our historic ctty, moving the
Cultural Center out of town seems to be counter productive. There are so many empty buildings in the
downtown area that could be utilized for some of these ideas.
The County Coundl has already approved a new lease agreement with the Coundl, and our organization is
very dosely identfied with this site. Over the past 18 years, hundreds of vdunteers have renovated a building
that was considered useless, and created a support group for the arts in our community that hosts over 15,000
visitors each year.
Our events indude art exhibds, lectures, demonstrations, workshops, plays, and dance performances, concerts
and programs for youth. Endosed is a list of the activities, which took place over the last fiscal year.
Mayor Yamashiro himself has not, in anyone's recollection over the past ten years, attended one event here at
the Center. This would account for his statement to other community members and me, "They (EHCC) have
had the building fortwenty years, and what have they done with d?"
In an effort to bring this situation to light, EHCC has begun aletter-writing campaign to inform the Coundl of the
position that we hold for the education in, and preservation of, the arts and culture of our mufti-ethnic
community. We thank you for taking the time to look through this information. We have also requested an
opportunity to address the Coundl and discuss the possibilities that are open to us as we partnership togetherto
find answers for improving the lives of residents and increasing business for our downtown merchants.
Sincerely,
Comm. No. 3 3 g• 00/
File No. F ~ N
Vicki Penney-Rohner K S ED L
Chairman Ref. To:
Ref. Date ~1N 1 8 1999
P.O. Box 1312 • Hilo, Hawaii 96721 • (808) 961-5711
Located at 141 Ka/akaua Street in Historic Downtown Hilo
EHCC ACTIVITIES -FISCAL YEAR 1997-1998
EHCC GALLERY EXHIBITIONS
Date Event
7/5-8/2 "Na Aumakua Mai Ka La Hiki A Ka La Kau" (Ancestors form the Rising
to the Setting Sun) -Sculpture by Rocky K. Jensen & photography by
daughter Natalie M. Jensen
8/8-30 "From Spirit to Paint: New Work 1993-97" -Steve Irvine
9/5-27 "The Trash Show: Hawaii Artists Recycle"
10/3-11 "Tonetsu -Feelings of Fire =Passion" -wood fired ceramics by Clayton
Amesniya, abstract oils/caligraphy by Lauren Okano
11/7-28 "Fall Arts Fest '97 -group show by BIAG
11/7 "Creativity -Ron Kowalke -slide presentation
12/5-25 "Art offthe Wall" -group sale
1/10-24 "Dementia, Opus 45: the Naked Monk", a site specific installation by
Randy Takaki
1/26-28 China's New Year Flower -The Narcissus
2/6-28 "Decisive Moment" -photographs by Chiu Leong
3/7-28 "The Young at Art" -multi-media art from K-12 grades
4/5-25 "A Vietnamese Artist's View of Hawaii -paintings by Nguyen Dinh
Thuan
5/1-30 "The Dark Side of Xanadu" -paintings by Peter Kowalke
6/6-27 "Ka'ai Lope, Kei Manawa" (Past, Present) - a retrospective of the works
of Eric Summer
CENTER STAGE EXHIBTTIONS
Date Event
7/5-8/2 "Mr. Toad & Mrs. Turtle" -paintings by Sue Mailander
8/4 "i'he Young Artists" (from summer class)
8/8-30 Paintings by Karen K. Vanatta
9/5-27 "S Matrix Drawings/Collages by Colleen Cannon-Kazlos
10/3-31 Recent works, mixed media by Erna Woo
11/7-27 "Alternate (and framed) Realities" -oil and acrylics by Wes Bogner
12/6-24 "Cosmic Art" - paintings by Damascus Aquarian
1/3-31 "Watercolors" - by Bobbye Belcher
2/6-29 "Primal Paintings" by Susan Lewis
3/7-28 "The Young at Art" -photography
4/5-25 Recent works by Diane Renchler, mixed media
5/i-30 "Puna Series" -paintings by Amy Sullivan
6/5-27 Oils and Pastels by Vicki Penney-Rohner
WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
Date Event
Every Mon. Life Drawing Group
Every Wed. Okinawan Court Dances
9/20-11/15 Drawing & Painting -Children's Art - Arenzo Smith
12/6 Reed Art -Christmas ornaments -Pam Barton
12/7-8 Rainforest Wreaths -Alice Aumua
1/5, 11, 18, 25 Nazcissus Bulb Carving -Gilman Hu
I/24 "Researching East Hawaii's History" -East Hawaii Historical
Society
1/10-2/28 "fhe Basics of Perspective Drawing" (once per week) - Arenzo
Smith
3/21-5/23 Children's Art - Arenzo Smith
5/10,24,17,31 Modern Dance with Andre Moris, Peter Rockford Espiritu
6/13-8/8 "Drawing with aBrush" -Children's Art - Arenzo Smith
6/16-7/21 "Experimenting with Movement" =Grace Chao
6/22-8/14 "Art for Children" -Eva Anderson, Arenzo Smith, Andrea Vinson
EHCC SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
Date Event
7/31 Film Festival - "Hawaiian Sting, Humuhonua, Kapa Haka"
4'~ Annual Pacific Island Images Film Festival
7/10-12, Play: "Measure for Measure" - Shakespeaze. Directed by
17-19, 24-26 Don Moody, Hilo Community Players
7/21 Slack Key Festival - "Ki ho'alu" - 13 artists
7/5 Slack Key Concert - Ledwazd Kaapana
7/23 Poetry Reading -Martha Webb, poet
7/16 Slide presentation - "Japan" -narrator/photographer, Paul
Buklazearcz
8/16-17 Theatre - "Tutu's Tales" -written and directed by Cathy Punch
and Angie Baker -Hilo Community Players
8/28-30, 9/4-6 Theatre - "Ten xTen" -directed by Paul Clark -Hilo Community
Players
8/23 Slack Key Concert -Ozzie Kotani, guitar artist
8/20 Reading - by Carolyn Han, author, "Nakhi Stories of China"
8/13 Slide presentation - "Kathmandu" - Dr. Marlin Spike Werner,
speech and hearing scientist
9/18 Presentation - "Shipwrecks & Landings" -Pete Hendricks, State
Department of Land & Natural Resources
10/10, 11, 17, Theater: "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' -directed by Steve Slater
18, 24, 25 Cast of 11 actors
10/22 Reading - "Poets Four" -works of four local poets -Ann
Gleason, Tracey Lambe, Diana Burroughs, Rosalyn Smith
10/23 Lecture/Slide - "Who were the First European Visitors to
Hawaii?" -East Hawaii Historical Society
11/22 Kimono dressing for children - 3'~ Annual Hilo Shichigosan in
cooperation with Mizushima International Kimono Program
12/3 Theatre discussion - "Knives, Fans & Whipping Sticks" - a
theatrical adaptation from "Noli Me Tangere" by Nicholas Picky
and Chris B. Millado: In cooperation with Hawaii Alliance for
Philippines Performing Arts, The Center for Philippine Studies,
Hawaii Committee for the Humanities, Center for Southeast Asian
Studies, Hawaii Community Foundation and Pacific Asian Affairs
12/5, 6, 7, Theatre - "A Christmas Cazol" -directed by Laura Andres,
12, 13, 14 Hilo Community Players, Cast of 22 actors
12/20 Concert - "The Gift: A Celtic Christmas Celebration" - a benefit
for EHCC by the Pacific Academy of Music
1 /16 Concert - "Second Annual First Jam Session of the New Year" by
Mark Mallory and Friends for EHCC
1/15 Slide/lecture - "1'he Debt of Hawaii's Native Animals to Hawaii's
Native Plants" -Sierra Club
2/27, 28 Theatre - `Beyond Therapy" -Comedy by Christopher Durang
3/6-7, 13-14 directed by Don Moody, Hilo Community Players
2/14 Panel discussion - "Captain Cook: God or Guest?" -East Hawaii
Historical Society
2/24 Poetry Reading -Michael McPherson & William Chillingworth
3/28 TourAecture - "Native Plants of Hawaii and Their Place in
Hawaii's History" -East Hawaii Historical Society
3/9 Forum - "Arts Education" -Jane Resner, lecturer, editor,
consultant, author -Big Isle Dance Council & SFCA
4/9 Poetry Reading - "Strange Voices" -poets Alan McNarie & John
Threlfall
4/11 Comedy - "Women's Comedy `98" - AAUW, Puna Branch
4/22 Storytelling - "Hawaiian Legends Come to Life in Land of Pele" -
storyteller Mahealani Kuamo'o OHenry
4/23 Poetry reading -Presentations by 8 women writers
4/23-25, 5/7-9 Theater - "One Act Festival: Round One" - in cooperation with
Hilo Community Players
4/30-5/2, 15-16 Theater - "One Act Festival: Round Two" - in cooperation with
Hilo Community Players
5/2 Festival -May Day Celebration - in cooperation with the County
of Hawaii, Department of Pazks & Recreation, Culture & Arts
Section
5/29 Concert - "Jazz, the Listener's Art" - 10 professional performers
6/19-20 Dance Concert -Big Island Dance Council & the County of
Hawaii, Department of Parks & Recreation, Culture & Arts
Section
6/27 Fundraiser - "Art Alive" -Art auction, food, entertainment