A ceramic-tile mural originally installed in the old Waiohai Hotel (now Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club) has been hung at Koloa School, and a ceremony to bless and dedicate the work is tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 29, at 10 a.m. at the
A ceramic-tile mural originally installed in the old Waiohai Hotel (now Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club) has been hung at Koloa School, and a ceremony to bless and dedicate the work is tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 29, at 10 a.m. at the school. The public is invited to the free event.
Suzi Pleyte is the Hawai‘i-based artist who created the mural, I Kapa, depicting different types of ‘ohe kapala (kapa stampers) and natural materials used in the process of making kapa (bark cloth). Shells, ha‘ue‘ue (sea urchins), kukui nuts, and mulberry bark (wauke) are some of the things depicted in the mural.
The mural was donated to the school by officials with the old Waiohai, and installed this year at Koloa School by leaders with the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA). Officials with the state Department of Education and SFCA will participate in the dedication.
Pleyte was born in the Netherlands in 1935, and moved to Hawai‘i from San Jose in 1964. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.
The SFCA was established by the state Legislature in 1965 as the official arts agency of the state. State officials’ concept of setting aside 1 percent of construction appropriations to provide a funding base for the acquisition of works of art set a national standard in 1967 when Hawai‘i became the first state in the nation to pass such legislation.
The 1989 revision of the law created the Works of Art Special Fund, a non-lapsing account into which all funds set aside for works of art are deposited and from which expenditures for art purposes are made.
The Art in Public Places Program objectives are to enhance the environmental quality of public buildings and spaces throughout the state for the enjoyment and enrichment of the public; to cultivate the public’s awareness of visual arts in all media, styles, and techniques; to contribute to the development and recognition of a professional artistic community; and to acquire, interpret, preserve and display works of art expressive of the Hawaiian islands, the multicultural heritages of its people, and the creative interests of artists.
For more information, see the Web site, http://www.hawaii.gov/sfca, or call toll-free 274-3141, then 6-9954# after the recorded message.
