Five UH Alums Picked for Artists of Hawai'i 2013

Artists of Hawai’i is a prominent biennial event hosted by the Honolulu Museum of Art for distinguished artists in Hawai'i.  For the 2013 exhibition, museum director Stephan Jost, deputy director Allison Wong, contemporary art curator James Jensen, and former associate contemporary art curator Inger Tully handpicked 11 Hawai'i artists to showcase their talents in a month-long exhibition.  Artists were selected one year in advance from a pool of 341 artists and given 10 months to develop a piece for the Artists ofHawai’i 2013 exhibit.  Five! Five out of the eleven recipients of this prestigious honor are UH Art Department alumni featured below.

Kandi Everett – This is Everett’s second time at the Artists of Hawai’i exhibition since her debut in 2011.  This time around she received The John Young Award which is given by the John Young Foundation to honor original and talented Hawaiian artists who’s work is artistically inspirational.  Recently, Everett has been working on a variety of projects including octopus study of movement, developing bodies through drawing and printmaking two subjects, and nude drawings.

Yumiko Glover – Recipient of The Melusine Award for Painting, which is in honor of the late Gerry Clark, a well-known Honolulu artist and painter.  Glover explores the interdependent relationships of men and girls through her artwork.  Utilizing Japanese symbols of youth, femininity, and animals, the Japanese otaku culture bursts out of her paintings.

Ryan Higa – The Roselle Davenport Award for Artistic Excellence is in honor of Roselle Davenport and given to Higa because his work is for the audience as much as the artist.  He is also the recipient of the State Foundation for Culture and the Arts Recognition Award.  Higa’s artwork involves an extensive process to bring dynamic concepts and thought-provoking sculptures to life.

Russell Sunabe – Sunabe is also a recipient of the State Foundation on Culture and Arts Recognition Award as well as the Violette Wong Hu Award, in recognition of an outstanding amateur Hawai’i-based artist.  Sunabe is an established painter who creates subjective contemporary pieces.

William Williams III- Along with Sunabe and Higa, Williams is a recipient of the State Foundation on Culture and Arts Recognition Award and winner of the Reuben Tam Award for Painting.  Williams’ paintings delve into the deep emotional aspects of facing death and dealing with its unavoidable approach.  Using images of dead birds with varying colors, he explores the complexities of mortality and human emotion through his paintings.