Visitors to the Lehua Island Art Show might hear the exhibit before they see it.
A soundscape played at the show captures the wildness of Lehua through a cacophony of unique bird calls from species living on the crescent-shaped island, which can get so loud that visitors to the island need to wear earplugs at night.
Inside the exhibit — located at the Kaua‘i Society of Artists gallery in Kukui Grove Center and sponsored by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, Island Conservation and Fish Eye Kaua‘i — are dozens of paintings and sculptures inspired by the island.
The show is the first art exhibition sponsored by DLNR, and came out of the the agency’s successful, decade-long effort to eradicate rats on Lehua to secure the safety of this island’s birds and plants.
“Last April we did an announcement about the rat eradication. We wanted to do a logo, so we reached out to a couple of artists,” said DLNR Water Resource Analyst Yuki Reiss. “We got so much interest that we thought, ‘oh, we should do a whole art show about it.’”
There is tremendous variety in the art featured in the gallery, which ranges from photographs of the Lehua crescent to paintings of red-footed boobies dressed up as Dolly Parton and shearwaters styled as Cher.
“We let people interpret it however they wanted to,” said Reiss.
Some artists focused on the mythological history of the island, with Josh Huntoon’s “Madame Pele” displaying the goddess in a sculpture of concrete painted with acrylic.
For artist Billi Smith, the exhibit is a family affair. Along with her driftwood sculptures of native birds, the gallery displays artwork from her daughter and granddaughter.
“Immutable” by artist and biologist Alex Dutcher addresses the rat-eradication directly — featuring a suspended albatross crafted out of rat bones.
“The physical manifestation of an albatross made of rodent bones represents a chance at life which the death of rats has given a generation of seabirds on Lehua,” the information card below the sculpture reads.
Reiss hopes the show can help effectively educate the public on the ongoing conservation efforts. “Art is a different way to communicate,” said Reiss. “It’s more accessible to a lot of people.”
The show is also raising funds for the ongoing ecosystem restoration on Lehua.
After the rat eradication, conservation efforts on Lehua are focused on biosecurity, restoration of native plants and attracting more native birds to nest on the island.
The agency continues to monitor the island, tracking trends for the many species of seabirds and conducting surveys that tell all more about the ecosystem.
“This is about moving forward, and what Lehua is going to be in the future,” said Reiss.
The gallery is open Friday from noon to 6 p.m.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
