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Hawaii Tribune-Herald Island Beat Thursday, January 5, 2017 9 WAILOA From page 8 The show will exhibit a variety of media, including video, sculptures, paintings, drawings, photography and prints, created by mainland and local artists. “I moved to the Bay Area in 2007 to start my life as an artist,” says Ybañez, who attended Hilo High School and the University of Hawaii at Hilo before moving to the mainland. “In 2011, I started this Filipino arts group to try connecting with other Pinoys who made art to see what they were doing.” Also coming up in 2017 for Wailoa Center is February’s “From the Highway” with Dick Mortemore, an exhibit shown at Wailoa during the past 25 years. The wood turners show in March will host wood-turning clubs from Oahu, Maui and Kauai for the first time to help celebrate Wailoa’s 50th anniversary as well as the 19th anniversary of the show. In April, the Merrie Monarch Festival tradition of showcasing Native Hawaiian artists’ fine arts and traditional crafts will continue, and May will highlight Mental Health Awareness month with the exhibition, “Self-Discovery Through Art: Recovery, Resilience and Re-Creation.” “June will be our first all-media, open-juried competition ‘Imagine 2017: Fine Art Expo’ sponsored by the Hawaii Island Art Alliance,” King says. “We’re doing this in hopes of building it into a long-standing opportunity for artists statewide. Then, July begins with an incredible display of bonsai and suiseki hosted by the Mokuhonua Bonsai Club, in conjunction with the Hilo Bonsai Kyoshitsu.” “Artists Without Boundaries: A Tradigital Exhibit” also is slated for July, featuring artwork that blends traditional and digital processes in its creation. “I like to think that August presents our most popular event with the ‘Abstract Only!’ seventh exhibit sponsored by the Hawaii Island Art Alliance, all-media juried exhibit open to all artists who rarely get to show off their abstract art,” King says. September is for the “Contemporary Craft” artists, also sponsored by the Hawaii Island Art Alliance. In October, the center will host an exhibit of art and music, combining the annual Big Island Ukulele Guild exhibit with the Big Island Woodworkers and Artist Invitational. This event features weekly kanikapilas, custom ukuleles, fine woodwork, furniture and art. “This 50th anniversary year gets capped off with ‘Hawaii Nei 2017,’ a juried exhibition featuring native species of Hawaii Island, which encourages artists of all ages to learn about our unique, fragile island environment,” King says. “I think with each exhibit we have throughout the year we can appeal to all segments of artists and visitors to Wailoa Center.” Wailoa Center was designed five decades ago as an open-air visitor center featuring displays. Through the different State Parks Interpretive Center coordinators through the years, exhibits have fluctuated between concentrations on cultural documentary exhibits to predominantly art exhibits, King explains. “We are in the process of expanding and creating a multiuse space dedicated to Wailoa Center in the early days. Courtesy photo educational and visitor information,” she says. “We are also changing the landscape around the center, installing a multicultural educational garden, which will inform our visitors about our local native and introduced plants.” A reception for the January exhibits will take place from 5-7 p.m. Jan. 13 at the center. Regular gallery hours are 8:30 a.m-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call the Wailoa Center at 933-0416 or visit wailoacenter.com.


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