BFA Alum Marques Hanalei Marzan is Making Waves

BFA alum, Marques Hanalei Marzan, has made a splash in the art community after graduating from UH Manoa.  He has trained under noted experts in Hawai‘i, including master weavers, Julia Minerva Ka'awa and Esther Kakalia Westmoreland.  Marzan has used his top-notch training to distinguish himself as a notable fiber artist locally and internationally.  Sine 2004 he has traversed the globe embodying Hawai‘i in numerous festivals celebrating cultural arts of indigenous people.  While representing Hawai‘i in the Festivals of Pacific Arts he has traveled to Palau, Pagopago, American Samoa, Koror, and the Soloman Islands.  In 2006 Marzan brought Hawaiian art to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival held in Washington D.C.

Marzan is currently a staff member of the Bishop Museum’s Cultural Resources Division in Kalihi.  Utilizing his skills and cultural ties Marzan shares Hawaiian culture and fiber art to the public through workshops, demonstrations, and presentations. On October 18^th TEDxMānoa will host Marzan as well as many other distinguished artists.

Shawn Spangler breaking records

Shawn Spangler joins the department this semester from Illinois. Specializing in ceramics Shawn's work draws inspiration from craft, industrial design and digital technology.  His recent accomplishments include being included in the prestigious SOFA CHICAGO exhibition "The Futures: Celebrating Craftsmanship, Creativity, Commitment" focused on the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts. The artists selected for this exhibition have claimed their spot as leaders in the future of Watershed and of the broader world of Ceramic Art. Exhibition is curated by Seth Rainville, a Ceramic Artist and Curator for the New Bedford Art Museum in New Bedford, Massachusetts

While active in his creative research Shawn is also busy in the classroom. Today he and his students set a new record of 160 lbs in a class exercise. Shawn write, "Students use 15 lbs of wet clay to construct a bridge - to see how many lbs that bridge can hold before collapsing under the weight.  For one student, the class got up to 130 lbs. We ran out of clay so we took out all but 50 lbs and had a student weighing 110lbs stand on it - without it collapsing.  Remarkable how durable we clay can be!"

More than a comic, it's an art

Manga is more than a comic; it is a form of art.  Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s David Goldberg recently attended “Crossing Cultures,” a project curated by BFA alum, Brady Evans, to showcase local Manga talent.  Goldberg gave rave reviews in his article Manga explore island history and tradition.

The exhibit features Manga artwork that narrates Hawaiian cultural history in creative forms. On Sunday’s an artist is available to answer questions and chat with guests.  The exhibit runs through Oct. 2 at Gallery ‘Iolani, Windward Community College.  

Robert Reed at SPF Projects as Wacky-kiki: The Queen of America!

Robert Reed joins forces with E.Y. Yanagi in a duo exhibition at SPF Projects in Kaka'ako. Robert received his MFA in 2011 and works primarily in the areas of performance, wearable art, installation, and sculpture.  

Reem Bassous and Wendy Kawabata in The Dialogist Quarterly

    

Reem Bassous (top) and Wendy Kawabata (bottom) are both featured in The Dialogist Quarterly Vol. I, Issue III.

Joe Stanton Reads

Joseph Stanton will read a selection of his poems from his book A Field Guide to the Wildlife of Suburban O'ahu on Saturday, September 28, 2pm at the Hawai i State Library (main branch), 478 S. King Street. Professor Stanton is faculty at our department as well as the Department of American Studies. His poetry takes inspiration from nature, movies, baseball, fairy tales, noh plays, Hawai i places and people, popular music, paintings, and a wide variety of other things. 

Jaimey Hamilton Faris reviews WISH YOU WERE HERE in the Offsetter

Jaimey Hamilton Faris' take on WISH YOU WERE HERE at Chanel Waikiki (organized by Honolulu Museum of Art). Exhibition features the work of Ashley Bickerton, Paul Pfeiffer, Garnett Puett, and UHM's own Lawrence Seward.