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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0338.045 1998-2000 4, by BENJAMIN J. CAVETANO 9\• E R t- U i1`~' i_ PAUL G. LeMAHIEU, Ph.D. GOVERNOR ~ V SUPERINTENDENT b~ '99 JUL 23 Pf4 1 34 STATE OF HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION c~~-~~'~T~r '"LE~K WAIAKEA HIGH SCHOOL COUNTY Oi- HAWAII 755 W. KAWILI STREET HILO, HAWAII 96720-6098 MICHAEL TOKIOKA PHONE: 974-4888 FAX: 974-4880 PRINCIPAL July 10, 1999 Mayor Steven Yamashiro Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, HI 96720 Dear Mayor Yamashiro: As chair of the Department of Fine Arts at Waiakea High School, my personal experience with thousands of our East Hawaii children has shown me how significant a part the Arts play in building character and a strong community. Here on the Big Island we do not have art museums like the Academy or the Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, yet our young people get to see real art, the product of artists hand and heart at a historic and beautiful place, the only place in Hilo that has the feel of a truly elegant architectural achievement, The East Hawaii Cultural Center. To take this hub of the arts from its historic and exemplary building and move it to a soulless commercial space such as the old JC Penney building in Kaiko'o Mall will do injury not only to the arts but to the community and especially to its children. The message the county would be sending to our children is that the arts are not important, they can be shifted about into any old corner'rf it suits the purpose of those who have other agendas. There is no reason the folks who propose a Hula museum and want offices for the Merrie Monarch Festival cannot find space in the same area; the old Hilo Hotel stands empty; a perfect space ff they are willing to work on it and raise money to do so as the arts community had to do to renovate the EHCC building for its use many years ago. Let me remind you how the EHCC came to be such a perfect venue for the arts in our community, and why the building itself is so important to us in its present usage. The old police station stood empty and decaying on the edge of a little used park. Ahard-working group of arts advocates, headed by Frances Sherrard used their own money, sweat equity and materials in addition to those provided by government and grants to transform that building into an historic Comm. No. O~ File No. Ref. To: P E G JUL 2 3 1999 Ref. Date AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER landmark that stands as one of Hilo's finest examples of public architecture. The little used park has become the amphitheater for our annual Shakespearean festival, and is used for many other arts and cultural events, breathing new life into the once decaying part of town. Each year thousands of school children ftom all around the island submfl their best art work to be juried and displayed during the month of March, Youth Art Month, in the gallery. They bring their families and ftiends on opening day and throughout the month to see their work on display in a real art gallery. Teachers from all around the island bring their classes to see the Young at Art exhibit, and have done so for the past eleven years. These youngsters see not only the art on display, but also the esteem in which the art is held; they notice the elegance of the building and its gallery and many begin right then and there to aspire to create art work worthy of being shown in the EHCC gallery next year. I take my classes to see several shows a year at the Center. The Recycled Art show in September/October is renowned across the state for its innovative and exciting work; the Fall Show by the Art Guild presents the latest work by our visual arts community, and provides inspiration to young artists who have the opportunity to see it. Again, the building in which these shows are housed reflects the respect the community has for the arts. The arts activities of East Hawaii and the EHCC building are inexorably linked. To remove one from the other would deal a crippling blow to both. Let the Hula Museum and Merrie Monarch Festival folks find a spot they can make their own, and renew the East Hawaii Cultural Council's lease on the building in which so many dedicated people have built the reality of a vibrant arts community. Thank you for your kind attention to this request. I am sure many who have not had the opportunity to write feel as I do, and can say with confidence, that renewing the lease is the will of the majority of the people of Hawaii. Sincerely yours, FRANCINE PEARSON Chair, Department of Fine Arts / cc: County Council Members: James ArakakjV Nancy Pisicchio Aaron Chung AI Smith Leningrad Elarionoff Curtis Tyler Julie Jacobsen Dominic Yagong Bobbi Jean Leithead-Todd Dan Sakai, Hawaii District Superintendent of Schools Vicki Penney-Rohner, Chair, EHCC Board of Directors Gene Tao, Editor, Hawaii Tribune-Herald ,d/~ ~~~t a~ / u° `M- ~ ~ ~ ~e~ ,