Bishop Museum Partners With Arts At Marks Garage To Showcase An Award-winning Cultural Exhibit
Honolulu, HI – Hui Panalā‘au: Hawaiian Colonists, American Citizens, a Bishop Museum designed exhibit that explores the occupation of isolated Pacific Islands in the years preceding World War II, will be on display at the ARTS at Marks Garage (Marks) for a limited run beginning Tuesday, December 15 and ending January 16, 2010. The exhibit, which received a national award of commendation from the American Association for State and Local History in 2003, was originally displayed at Bishop Museum in 2002 and has been traveling throughout the state.
Hui Panala‘au tells the story of 130 young men – many recent graduates of Kamehameha Schools – who were sent to occupy Howland, Baker, and Jarvis Islands from 1935 to 1942. While on the Islands, the young men were expected to undertake various activities with few resources and in total isolation. They collected specimens for Bishop Museum; mapped the islands; cultivated coconuts and vegetables; and prepared a landing field for Amelia Earhart, who was expected to make Howland Island one of her last stops on her round-the-world flight. Through it all, they endured rats, sharks, and ultimately, enemy fire. The exhibit shares many of these stories in the colonists own words, as well as through photographs, log books, drawings, maps and artifacts.
DOCUMENTARY SCREENING
Marks will also feature a free screening of “Under a Jarvis Moon” on Saturday, January 9, 2010. A reception will begin at 6 pm, followed by the screening at 7 pm and a Q&A period to follow. Several of the few remaining surviving colonists will be in attendance. The one hour film was developed by Bishop Museum with support from Kamehameha Schools and the Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations program.
Bishop Museum project manager Noelle Kahanu says, “This film is a treasure because it features interviews with colonists, many of whom have since passed on. It poses the question that when all else is stripped away what makes us who we are?”
Marks is a gallery, performance, and business incubator focused on helping to transform Downtown/Chinatown Honolulu with the power of the arts. Marks is a project of the Hawai‘i Arts Alliance established in 2000 and is located at 1159 Nu‘uanu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96817. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed for the holidays: December 24, 25, 31, 2009 & January 1, 2010. For more information, call 808 521-2903 or visit www.artsatmarks.com.
Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop as a tribute to his wife Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha dynasty. Bishop Museum is located at 1525 Bernice Street and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed on Tuesdays and Christmas Day. For more information, call 847-3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.
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