About 40 artists representing Hawai’i, the U.S. mainland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, working in various mediums, participate annually in this invitation-only event. The 2024 Hawaii Artist Collaboration takes place over four days beginning November 2. Much of the completed artwork made from found objects collected throughout the year is featured at a benefit auction (both silent and live) at the end of the week. This year, the auction is set for Saturday, November 9, from 4 to 7 PM at the Hawai’i Island Community Health Center Pavilion in Kailua-Kona.
Holualoa artists Tai Lake — an internationally acclaimed woodworking designer and fine furniture maker — and Cliff Johns, an award-winning woodturner, organized the first Hawaii Artists Collaboration in 2011. From the start, Tai has hosted the artists, inviting them to live, eat, work and play at his two-acre property with open-air workshops just north of central Hōlualoa Town.
“We were inspired by the first artist collaboration event we attended in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 2006. More than 100 artists worldwide attended Emma International, which grows each year. The energy, enthusiasm, creativity and willingness to share were just on fire,” Tai says. “The cross-pollination among artists was absolutely reinvigorating.”
According to Cliff, the duo returned home, imagining something similar could happen here on Hawai’i island. “We asked ourselves, ‘Who wouldn’t want to come to Hawai’i and make art for a great cause.’”
With a vision of what could be and how it could benefit the community at large, Tai says it took five years to pull it all together, one step at a time.
Alex Gupton, long-time Hawaii Artist Collab participant and owner of the Gupton Gallery on the waterfront in Kailua-Kona, says, “Tai is a good salesman but an even better cheerleader. In his own words, ‘enthusiasm is contagious,’ and it was, in fact, his enthusiasm that fueled the huge amount of interest and excitement around the first Collab here.”
That first year, while Tai was busy cleaning up and making more space at his place, as well as recruiting artists with specific skill sets, Cliff was out looking for stuff — anything and everything from old bicycle parts and antique phonographs to discarded old roofing from the Aloha Theatre — to be used by the artists, according to Alex.
“It was and still is all about gathering artists to share ideas, skills and inspiration. We work together to create up to 85 pieces of art each year using a mixed media approach, with two or more artists contributing to the finished piece,” Cliff says.
Tai says the idea is to encourage artists to venture outside their usual medium, working in alternative art forms to expand their vision and skills. While it’s an opportunity for kupuna and master artists to recharge their work, it also provides a venue for passing traditional and contemporary methods to a younger generation of artists, he says.
Alex’s first Collab in 2014 brought a stunning revelation; he realized for the first time just how much of his career has been spent in solitude. “You’re alone working all these years, and then suddenly you’re with all these wonderful, talented artists who are so willing to welcome you in, so willing to let you into their space, whether it’s pounding metal or turning wood for the first time,” he says.
Victor Pilolla, Alex’s gallery partner, relocated to Kona from Chicago in 2020, bringing years of experience in theatrical set design. When Alex introduced him to the Art Collab concept, he immediately embraced it. He is now the on-site facilitator during the art-making portion of the week.
“I tell the artists, if you need something, come to me, ask me and I’ll take care of it,” he says.
This year, artists specializing in everything from wood turning and ceramics, painting and jewelry-making, forged ironwork and sculpture to glassblowing and textiles will participate, and, once again, local art teachers will benefit from auction proceeds.
“Underfunding of art programs in our local schools K through 12 is huge, from the lack of supplies to space to teach art. Raising money to provide art supplies was our initial goal, with some $36,000 in proceeds donated since the auction’s inception. In 2023, that giving expanded to include $1,000 in supplies sent to Maui’s temporary centers housing students displaced by the destructive, heartbreaking August fires,” Tai says.
He says funding will also include scholarships for students attending summer art programs at the Donkey Mill Art Center this year. Additionally, a school curriculum that integrates this collaborative concept into the classroom is now in the planning stages.
“We can create a template to take this idea to any group of people – keiki to kupuna – from kindergarten classrooms to senior centers,” he says.
The Hawaii Artist Collaboration is a 503C non-profit. For more information and tickets, follow Hawaii Artist Collaboration on Facebook or log onto HawaiiArtistCollaboration.org.
We were inspired by the first artist collaboration event we attended in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 2006. More than 100 artists worldwide attended Emma International …
Underfunding of art programs in our local schools K through 12 is huge, from the lack of supplies to space to teach art.