With its natural beauty and inspirational environment, Hawaii has long been a magnet for artists from around the globe. At the same time, the rich native Hawaiian culture is one where artistic expression is part and parcel of daily life.
Given these two dynamics, Hawaii offers no shortage of ways to make art a vibrant part of a meetings program. They can be as basic as taking part in local gallery walks or as elaborate as arranging for island artists to create one-of-a-kind gifts for attendees.
Gallery Walks
Hawaii’s abundant art gallery scene is showcased in a series of Art Walk evenings that are cropping up all over the islands. In downtown Honolulu, First Friday (www.firstfridayhawaii.com) kicks off at 5 p.m. on the first Friday of every month when Chinatown’s many galleries, boutiques and cafes open their doors with free exhibits and entertainment. Among the galleries open to browsing are the Chinatown Boardroom Surf Boutique, MAMO Gallery of Native Hawaiian Art and The ARTS at Marks Garage.
Starting late last year, Maui launched Maui Friday Town Parties (www.mauifridays.com) on various Friday evenings in Lahaina, Wailuku, Makawao and Paia. The free events highlight local art, music and culture with free entertainment and special offerings from participating vendors.
In Kauai, every Friday night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. brings the Hanapepe Art Walk (www.hanapepe.org), where visitors can stroll along Hanapepe Road to visit more than two dozen art galleries and meet local artisans. During November, the Big Island’s Holualoa Art and Coffee Stroll (www.konacoffeefest.com) is a highlight of the annual Kona Coffee Festival. The daylong event at quaint Holualoa Village showcases local art galleries and artists. PageBreak
Customized art walks featuring wine and cheese receptions at various galleries are a popular pre-dinner offering for groups. Perhaps the most conducive location for the walks is Lahaina, where dozens of galleries can be found along Front Street.
“Lahaina has a number of really good high-quality galleries where we can do cocktail receptions and groups can meet the local artists,” says Kurt Wright, president of The Wright Company, a Maui-based DMC, citing Lahaina Galleries and Sargent’s Fine Art & Jewelry as gallery venues used in the past.
Also frequently used for receptions with an art gallery vibe is the Maui Arts and Cultural Center (www.mauiarts.org) in Kabuli, which includes a 4,100-square-foot visual arts gallery with changing exhibits. The center also includes an outdoor amphitheater, meeting rooms and a 1,200-seat performing arts theater.
“It’s an excellent venue for any number of events,” says Kathy Clarke, president of Kathy Clarke Hawaii, a local DMC. “There’s always a different art exhibit there that can be incorporated into an event.”
Meet the Artists
Making artists a part of receptions or spouse programs is another way to take advantage of Hawaii’s art scene. According to Wright, a great beginning to an incentive program is bringing artists to the welcoming reception to display their work.
“It can represent a wide range, including glass sculpture, ceramics, woodwork or photography,” he says. “Each attendee can choose something they want as a gift, which is then shipped to their home. This exposes them to the local art and artists and also provides them with a personal remembrance of Hawaii.”PageBreak
In a similar vein, Wright has arranged for a local artist to do watercolor paintings of scenes from the hotel where the meeting is based. The paintings are matted and framed and then sent to the attendees’ homes.
For spouse programs, a popular offering is to bring in Hawaiian artisans to demonstrate—and sometimes teach—crafts such as ti leaf weaving or bamboo printing.
“It is very easy to literally touch the Hawaiian culture in this way,” Clarke says. “These arts and crafts can be interactive and are very easily incorporated into a workshop session.”
Art Museums
Hawaii’s premier art venue is the Honolulu Museum of Art (www.honoluluacademy.org), the result of last years’ merger between the Honolulu Academy of Arts and The Contemporary Museum. The combination of the two art collections means that works now range all the way from a Neolithic Chinese stoneware jar to a mixed-media wall relief sculpture by Frank Stella.
“This museum is one of our standbys for receptions,” Clarke says. “They have wonderful courtyards where you can set up a cocktail reception and then move on to dinner. And the group can tour the museum.”
Hawaii’s indigenous art treasures are showcased at the Bishop Museum (www.bishopmuseum.org), where exhibit areas such as the Hawaiian Hall and Polynesian Hall house superb cultural collections. The multifaceted museum, which also includes a planetarium and science center, is one of the most versatile venues in Hawaii, according to Clarke.
“The great lawn at the museum holds several thousand people, and there are also smaller, private areas,” she says. “You can do just about anything the client wants.”
