Next week jazz artist Lau Tizer will perform a benefit concert to kick-start Imaginarium of Kaua‘i — the organization once known as Kaua‘i Children’s Discovery Museum. The Discovery Museum, an educational venue for children located in Kapa‘a, closed in 2007.
Next week jazz artist Lau Tizer will perform a benefit concert to kick-start Imaginarium of Kaua‘i — the organization once known as Kaua‘i Children’s Discovery Museum.
The Discovery Museum, an educational venue for children located in Kapa‘a, closed in 2007.
Lau Tizer’s band will feature violinist Karen Briggs (of Yanni) and Janardan Link (of “Big River”) at 7 p.m., Nov. 28 and Nov. 29 at Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center. Tizer was nominated as “Best New Artist of the Year” at the National Smooth Jazz Awards and has appeared on stage with artists Isaac Hayes, Boney James and Wayne Shorter.
This is not the first time the Colorado resident has performed on Kaua‘i. Executive director of Imaginarium of Kaua‘i, Ron Horoshko, brought Tizer to Kaua‘i in 2001 for a sold out show raising funds for Hawai‘i Children’s Theatre.
“I’d heard Lau as a street musician in Boulder,” he said.
This will be Tizer’s third fundraiser on Kaua‘i. His second was a spontaneous show in support of Hurricane Katrina victims.
“Lau called me when he was vacationing here — it was the day Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans,” Horoshko said.
Horoshko asked his old friend if he’d like to donate his talent once more for a worthy cause — that time to raise funds for the American Red Cross.
“In two and a half days we pulled a concert together that raised over $8,000,” he said.
This time Tizer is here to help revitalize children’s educational programming on Kaua‘i.
“The most important thing is to keep children the focus,” Horoshko said. “It’s all about education and doing something all the kids want to do.”
To that end Horoshko started a board of directors made up exclusively of children. Island School fifth-grader Emily Threlkeld is the children’s board president.
Imaginarium of Kaua‘i has expanded the organization’s original mission to include programming for not only keiki but youth up to 18 years old. Board member Dr. Frances Mead-Messinger described her focus for programs as cross-curriculum learning for children of all ages.
“My commitment is to interaction, curiosity and fun brain-building skills,” she said. “While the kid thinks he’s having fun, he’s also learning something.”
Two ways Imaginarium of Kaua‘i will expand upon what was done by the Discovery Museum is to broaden programs to include teenagers as well as integrate more Hawaiian culture and history.
“It’s important for the children who grew up here to understand their culture and that living on an island is unique,” said board member Pam Chock.
Chock sees this version of educational play as an opportunity for the entire community to work collaboratively for Kaua‘i’s youth and keiki.
“Location shouldn’t define us,” she said. “We want to be able to do programs with the schools, Koke‘e, PMRF and other non-profits like the Garden Island Arts Council and KPAC.”
While Imaginarium of Kaua‘i does have plans to have a physical location in the future, their intent is to focus on programs for kids.
“When we closed the Children’s Discovery Museum in ’07, we said we’d become a program-based organization rather then a site-based one,” said board of directors president, Steve Dubey. “A site-based organization carries with it requirements of meeting a large overhead and staffing.”
Venues for Imaginarium programming have been generous in the offering. Both Kaua‘i Veteran’s Center and Kukui Grove Shopping Center have representatives sitting on the Imaginarium board of directors who are passionate about bringing educational programs to Kaua‘i and have offered a space for upcoming exhibits — the largest of which is a dinosaur installation scheduled for September 2009.
Tickets for the Lau Tizer benefit concert are $35 advance and $40 at the door; tickets available at the following outlets: Hanapepe Cafe; Kalaheo Cafe; Progressive Expressions, Koloa, Kmart, Lihu‘e; Borders Books and Music; Kaua‘i Music and Sound, Kapa‘a; Papaya’s, Kapa‘a and Hanalei), North Shore Pharmacy, Kilauea; Hanalei Music’s Strings and Things; on Tuesday and Wednesday board members will be selling tickets from noon to 5 p.m. in front of Food Land in Princeville. For more information or to volunteer call Jesslyn Jardin at 635-1754.
• Pam Woolway, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681, ext. 257 or pwoolway@kauaipubco.com
