Makiki’s ArtSpree continues to inspire children and adults alike

MAKIKI—On Saturday, July 10, The Contemporary Museum hosted its 17th annual ArtSpree. This all-day free event held on the museum grounds featured vast opportunities for visitors to interact with contemporary art through hands-on activities, demonstrations, storytelling, dance, and music performances.

ArtSpree was born in 1995, after the non-profit support group, Friends of the Contemporary Museum, hosted an open house to celebrate the Museum’s fifth birthday. The program enjoyed such a robust attendance and was so well received by the community that it became an annual occurrence and is now one of Honolulu’s most popular art events.

For the past several years, I had been curious about this event but for one reason or another, had never been able to attend. This year, however, at the urging of my friend Lara Spargur, I was determined to make it. Besides, I was long overdue a mother/daughter date with my five-year-old, Maia, who just happens to be an art junkie as well.

Lara had counseled me to arrive right at 10:00 a.m., when the event opened. So Maia and I caught one of the first couple of free shuttle buses from Punahou, where we immediately ran into our friends Ivan and Noe, who joined us for the day. When we arrived at the museum, we had first pick of an enticing array of activities. Trusting my mommy instinct that the face painting station would later be mobbed, we made that our first stop. Right away, the Punahou kids volunteering at the tent showed that this was a well-organized event. Engaging and curious about the children, they demonstrated abundant artistic skill, poise, and patience. This trend held true throughout the day. And not only were the volunteers helpful and inspiring, but there were plenty of them at hand to help, easing the impact of the crowds as the day progressed.

Once transformed into a beautiful orchid, Maia headed off with her pal Noe, the snake, to play with clay, make prints, produce miniature flower arrangements, and draw with pastels. My personal favorite hands-on activity was the “eco art” sculptures. This seductively playful station was timely and educational as well as lavishly fun.  The first wave of joy came from the selection of materials: old puzzle pieces, corks, bottles, milk cartons, raffia, buttons ... all manner of “trash” that became raw material for sculptural forms. Glue guns were on hand to expedite the building process and the tent rapidly became a hive of charged inventive energy; parents were not only helping their children realize their artistic vision but were busily balancing the making their own art, too.

I am fortunate to have a job where I am forced to be creative on a continual basis. In addition, as a parent of two little girls, creativity creeps into the banal rituals of daily life, whether it be how to cajole them into trying a new vegetable or choreographing an impromptu dance in an effort to clean the house. Still, there is something completely liberating about being given permission to make a mess somewhere besides your own house, to unabashedly immerse yourself in the act of expression.  The eco art sculpture tent provided such a venue. 

As mom Abby Sylvester attested, “I loved that there was an activity that was free that both Izabella and I could enjoy. The art activities kept Bella engaged, allowed her to tap into her creativity, and, at the same time helped teach her a little about conserving the environment.” 

We could have stayed at the booths making art for hours, but there was dancing to watch, music to hear, food to taste. ArtSpree is truly a feast for all the senses.

The performance art provided by Dancers Unlimited and Derek Daniels punctuated the scene with bursts of color and the unexpected. Likewise, Samadhi Hawaii’s suspended dancers managed to make the site’s magnificent monkey pod trees even more enchanting than usual—no small feat. On many occasions, we found ourselves grooving to the eclectic beats of the rotating DJs or the slack key sounds of Dayton Watanabe and Stephen Inglis. Imagine being invited to a party at one of the most magnificent houses in Honolulu, with an endless array of entertainment and beauty appealing to both adults and children, and you have ArtSpree. The event truly targets all age groups.

The day was relatively cool and overcast for July, peppered with brief showers that likely kept the crowds down a bit while hardly putting a damper on the fun.  The rain also periodically sent people towards the galleries—a good thing, since they featured the spirited work of Allyn Bromley, a well known Hawaii artist and former professor at UH Manoa. At 82 years old, the fiery redhead continues to inspire with mixed media prints and installations; her print-making demonstration at 1:00 p.m. drew a large crowd, which packed in tight to see her vibrant art in the making.

Before we knew it, we had spent four action-packed hours at the event but Maia did not want to leave. She convinced me to stay for the Ballet Hawaii and the Mermaids Hawaii performances. Later on, Maia told me that the Mermaids was one of her “three favorite parts,” along with the flower arranging and “making the bowl [ceramics].”

If you have ever looked at the museum’s garden pool with longing, the Mermaids performance satisfied that desire to see it enjoyed. It ended up being the highlight of the day for many. Mermaids Hawaii has been performing and teaching synchronized swimming since 1971, yet I had never heard of them. What a welcome surprise!  Their graceful movements and colorful costumes mesmerized the crowd, while the sun burst through just in time to honor them and their message of love. One of them even had a real mermaid tail, and I can only imagine how many children informed their parents that they want to be a mermaid when they grow up. I am no longer afraid of aging, if I too can be a mermaid like them.

Whether a veteran of ArtSpree or a newbie, this year’s event did not disappoint. Photographer Nicole Seu has been coming with her children to photograph the event for many years and describes it as “magical.” Once again, they enjoyed discovering, creating, and exploring.  “Even the rain couldn’t stop all the smiles,” she added. 

Robert Schultz made a point of arriving earlier this year with his daughter, Arwen, to maximize the fun to be had. After starting the day with a cherry sorbet and seeing many of his daughter’s friends and parents, he asked “how can’t [the day] be fun”? Favorite moments included the Hawaii Mermaids, making a clay sculpture “just for mommy,” and as with many young children, face painting. As he put it, “ enjoyed taking my daughter to the ArtSpree and leaving with a four-foot tall kitty cat.”  He added that the “shuttle transportation provided made parking a breeze, the volunteers were all great and seemed happy to help, and all the activities and entertainment provided made it hard to believe it was a free event.”