Main Gallery

Archipelago: Portraits of the World's Most Remote Island Sanctuary
November 12, 2007 - May 9, 2008

Legendary fine art photographers, award winning environmentalists and documentary filmmakers, David Liittschwager and Susan Middleton, are back again with a new exhibit showcasing a breathtaking selection of the native floral and fauna of the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, both terrestrial and marine. The exhibition features 40 portraits of Pahahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. The inaccessibility of these islands and the need to protect them means that few people will ever be able to visit in person. Home to nearly seventy percent of our nation's coral reefs, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands host a remarkable ecosystem supporting a vast array of interdependent native plants and animals that have evolved over millions of years, many existing nowhere else on the planet.

Upcoming

Kaua'i Museum Quilt Festival
Part 1: Traditional Hawaiian Quilts
May 23 – July 25, 2008
Part 2: Non-Hawaiian Quilts
August 1 – October 1, 2008 in the Main Gallery

Displays of antique quilts are rare due to their fragile nature so they aren't always available to the public. The objective in offering the two showcases is to perpetuate the art and practices of the traditional Hawaiian quilting, and the second is to show the modern expressions of quilt-making by the people of Kaua'i. This year's festival will feature a digital slideshow of historic quilts documented by Lihu'e photographer William J. Senda in 1933 at the Mokihana Club Quilt Exhibit. A hands-on Hawaiian Quilt Design workshop will be offered twice during the Traditional Hawaiian portion of the exhibit to encourage quilters and crafters to design their own patterns rather than copy old ones, which was part of the cultural tradition associated with Hawaiian quilting.

Hawaiian Quilt Design 101 Workshop
Saturday, June 21 and July 19, 1-3pm

Quilt makers and crafters! Learn how to design your own quilt pattern in the traditional Hawaiian-style, in quarter and eighth folds. Payment is required to reserve your seat. 1-3pm, Saturday. Fee is $25 ($18 members) for the one day workshop.

A.R. Gurrey;
Paintings from the Kaua'i Museum Collection
October 13, 2008 – May 29, 2009

Alfred R. Gurrey actively painted on Kaua'i from 1916 until his death in 1943. He explored the whole island through his love of hiking, but it was his fascination with seascapes that is reflected in much of his work. Gurrey endeared himself to Kaua'i art lovers and was considered THE artist of Kaua'i during his lifetime, and his work is found in many kama'aina homes on the island. In 1998, thirty-one paintings by Alfred Richard Gurrey, Sr. were placed on display in the Main Gallery. The bulk of the collection was given to the Museum by Gurrey's grandson Walter G. Bayer. At the time, all of the paintings needed cleaning and some repairs. Due to the generosity of the Mary S. Rice Estate and the Waimakua Foundation, the entire collection has been restored by painting conservator Gregory Thomas. In the process of taking the works out of the frames, an additional painting was found and will also be on display. Included in the exhibit will be a mini display on the restoration work done by Thomas.

Senda Gallery

Hawaiian Language Newspapers:
The Story of the Ho'olaupa'i
January 5, 2008 - May 30, 2008

A Hawaiian Newspaper Resource project spearheaded by the Bishop Museum with the goal of digitizing and placing on the Internet tens of thousands of pages from Hawaiian-language newspapers. From 1834 to 1949, a hundred or more Hawaiian-language newspapers published more than a million pages of writing, more native-language material than printed by all other Polynesian societies combined. From its start in 1861, the independent Hawaiian press presented world and local news, national dialogue, and cultural and historical work by Hawaiian writers.

Upcoming

'Ikena He'e Nalu: Visions of Surfing
June12 – September 12, 2008

Surfing in the ancient days was not just a sport to the people of Kaua'i but a part of everyday life. The ancients were at home in the water and legends describing the bravery and skill of Kaua'i and Ni'ihau surfers abound. The story of surfing from the ancient times to the surfing boom of the 60's is told in chants, early travelers' journals, drawings, paintings, and surfing magazines.

Early Portraits of Kaua'i : 1778-1940
September 19 – March 5, 2009

Landscape painters and photographers fall in love with Kaua'i - dramatic cliffs, verdant valleys, colorful canyons, and beachscapes – then and now. A collection of romantic images from the Kaua'i Museum Collection will be displayed featuring artists/photographers from the island and others attracted to the simple beauty of the island prior to the commercialism of the tourist images post-WWII. Photograph from the Dole Family Collection.

MONTHLY ACTIVITIES

'Ohana Saturdays
Admission is free for the whole family with special presentations ...

Upcoming 'Ohana Saturday 2008

Our Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Man & Beast series is when we open our doors each first Saturday of the month with free admission. We invite you to enjoy these special events, where one or all of the elements in this year's theme are a basis for that day's presentation. Join us in experiencing our rich traditions and diverse culture, and watching them come alive.

January 5, 2008; 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Kalo: The Hawaiian staff of life
Explore Earth, Air, and Water as we learn about and share kalo, the most important plant to the Hawaiian people. Attendees will be treated to a range of displays, demonstrations, presentations, short videos, and interactive learning opportunities on many aspects of kalo, and for all ages, including keiki. There will be presentations on growing, cultural significance, varieties, pests, issues such as genetic engineering, and opportunities to see and/or participate in poi pounding, tasting of food made with different parts of the kalo plant, and talk story with farmers. Overall it will be a great day at the museum of fun, learning, and sharing about Haloa, the older brother of the Hawaiian people.

February 2, 2008; 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Chinese New Year Celebration

'Iole (Rats) in Hawaiian Culture (10:30 – 11:30)
'Iole are a prime example of the mountains-to-sea relationship seen in the ahupua'a system. Join Kawika Winter, Director of the Limahuli Garden and Preserve at the National Tropical Botanical Garden, as he presents the 'iole as a major part of the makahiki (Hawaiian new year).

Black Hat Feng Shui (11:30 – 12:30)
With a profound understanding of the impact of chi (spiritual energy), this school of thought combines traditional principles of Feng Shui design with spirituality, psychology, modern science, and the transcendental to reflect the needs of today's society. Award winning author, Sharon Jeffers, will discuss the five elements of this unique form of Feng Shui and how they correspond with the new year.

Kaua'i Museum Annual Board Meeting (12:30 – 1:30)

The 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals (1:30 – 2:30)
Each animal represents 12 different types of personalities. Noted local ceramicist and sculptor, Wayne Miyata, will demonstrate his method of creating these animals, an effort similar to a Zen painter. Much abbreviation, to the point of abstraction, is necessary to develop the essence of each animal captured in the soft porcelain.

Chinese New Year Constellations and Legends (2:30 – 3:30)
Discover the connection of the Chinese New Year and its astronomy roots. The Chiefess Kamakahelei Astronomy Club will introduce the Chinese luni-solar year within their traveling planetarium. Explore the Chinese New Year night sky constellations and learn the legends behind them.

March 1, 2008; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Building Knowledge and Sailing Spirit: Meph Wyeth and Mimi George discuss the element of Air and Water, through sailing, wind, and weather control in their The Vaka Taumako (A Canoe for Taumako) Project

The Taumako people were in danger of losing the canoe building and sailing knowledge of their ancestors, and with it the spiritual underpinnings of their culture. Then in 1996, the Taumako people began building voyaging canoes again. Inspired by the few old men and women who still remembered how to construct and sail these craft, young islanders started learning ancestral seafaring skills. They also began to learn modern ways of recording them and sharing them with people in the outside world. As they retrace the old searoads, today's young Taumako have the opportunity not only to preserve the riches of their forebears' science and technology, but to increase them by sharing their traditional knowledge with people the world over. Join us in discovering this unique cultural tradition.

April 5, 2008; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
The Hawaiian Monk Seal: Our Endangered Jewel

With the element of Water, members of the DLNR Hawaiian Monk Seal Conservation Hui conduct a presentation on Kaua'i's monk seal population and preservation. The Hawaiian Monk Seal is one of the most critically endangered mammals in the US, and the key to saving it from extinction is education. The more we know about the monk seal, the better they are protected and cared for. Learn what is being done to foster growth of the Hawaiian monk seal population, and what you can do to help preserve one of our most cherished marine mammals.

May 3, 2008; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
India: A Journey and Discovery
Ka'imi Na'auao Hawai'i Nei performs hula inspired by the halau's trip to India, where they learned dances for Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Vi Herbert discusses her Kolam Foundation, an organization whose goal is to help poor Indian women, men, and children achieve economic independence through job skills and education. We will also learn how to create a kolam, a traditional Indian art of charity by women to encourage development of creative artistic skills. Kolam are drawn with rice flour or lime in the dirt or on the steps to a building as a sign of welcome, prosperity, and to honor life. They even feed the ants and insects!

June 7, 2008; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Pancho Graham will perform slack key guitar with songs filled with lyrics about Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, in celebration of the summer solstice. Francis Warther discusses the elements of Earth and Air by inviting all archeo-astronomers, archeologists, and anyone interested in cultural astronomy to join him for a stimulating conversation about astronomy's relation to Hawaiian culture through placement and alignment of hei'au.

July 5, 2008; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Malama Pono hosts the day of Man, with a discussion and presentation boosting awareness and education for those infected or affected by HIV, AIDS, and Hepatitis C.

August 2, 2008; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Sharon Jeffers introduces her Mystic Hawaiian Playing Cards, a deck of cards developed around 52 mystical places here on our islands, a fascinating look at Earth and Air, astrology and numerology.

September 6, 2008; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Juan Wilson, editor of IslandBreath.org, discusses Kaua'i's Earth, Air, Fire, and Water by taking a look at what we are doing today and how that will shape these elements in our future.

October 4, 2008; 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Chiefess Kamakahelei's Astronomy Club unleashes its traveling planetarium, filling the Air of our main museum, with a chance for everyone to become the next generation of Hokule'a star navigators.

November 1, 2008; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
The Kaua'i Humane Society meets the Beast element with a day of demonstrations and discussions, showing the wonderful relationship we have with our island animals.

December 5, 2008; 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
The annual Christmas Craft Fair is held in conjunction with The Festival of Lights, where you can visit the museum, support local artisans, enjoy delicious food, and participate in Hawaiian music and hula performances.