HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0338.051 1998-2000
July 27, 1999
TESTIMONY for support of the EAST HAWAII CULTURAL CENTER
RECEIVED
Aloha Mr. Chair and members of this committee: Date__._.____'7~
County Cound,~.e ~ j? s£ Dt
My name is Kaholo Daguman, a resident of Puna, a teacher with the
Department of Education and a business proprietor in downtown Hilo,
I have been involved and have supported the East Hawaii Cultural
Center since November 7, 1980, the day the Old Police Station,
the former Police Station was handed the Cultural Council for its use.
Since then, I, along with countless volunteers, came forward in the
spirit of aloha to help build the Center to what it is today.
Yes, financial support was obtained through the State Legislature,
the County of Hawaii, the National Endowment for the Arts, the
State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and through donations
from businesses and individuals but, it was the people's values,
the community values that brought us together. Handing over the
building to us gave us a sense of ownership, a sense of belonging
to a community wanting an art and culture focus, a home for the
visual and performing arts.
Our vision remains strong because we :continue to cherish these values:
#We cherish the value of kokua. We came to a building boarded up
for five years. We were there to kokua, to kokua each other, to kokua
the arts, to kokua the community so that we could give aloha
to our vision. We hauled off 28 tons of debris. Businesses and
organizations came forth in the spirit of lokahi - and we worked
together in harmony. No one was there to make money.
Comm. No, '3~$. OS/
File No. F ~N
Ref. To: Prat°d FfSEDC~
Ref. Date-'~' 2~~_
'tt'We cherish the value of laulima, cooperation, collaboration with
the County, with the University here in Hilo and at Manoa, with the
Wailoa Center, with the Volcano Art Center, with the cultural organizations,
with the community. Shows such as:
Bunko No Izumi's exhibition of the Cultural Arts of Japan,
the Chinese Bicentennial Ensemble's "Tribute to Goong Goong
and Popo,
Big Island Art Guild's annual Spring Art Festival,
the mixed-media group show: "Myths and Legends: Images and Ideas",
the annual "Young At Art",
"Plantation Reunion",
and
the annual "art from recycled objects" show
exemplify the value of laulima, the value of collaboration.
#We cherish the value of ho'omanawanui, the value of patience
as we roller-coasted through grant monies, donations, and
economically-depressed times. It tooks us 7 years of cleaning up
and renovating before we opened the main gallery. During that time,
the dedicated few volunteers remained, others came when they could.
Our Center exists for the community. Yes, the County is going through
its economic woes, but, I ask that you not target the East Hawaii
Cultural Center. We have come together in the spirit of aloha,
in the spirit of laulima, in the spirit of kokua with integrity,
with dedication for the love of the visual and performing arts.
Keep us where we are. We have given to help the artists of the community.
We have all helped to keep the arts alive here in the County of Hawaii.