Arts & Culture

Building on a history that dates back to the monarchy, today, opera is finding a new footing in Honolulu.  Hawai‘i Opera Theatre’s longtime Artistic Director retired last year and HOT’s General Director left suddenly in April.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports, change is in the air.

Writer, Anna Badkhen, covered wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia, traveling and writing widely before choosing to focus simply on the lives of rug makers through the seasons in a village in northern Afghanistan .  Her books document travel and eating in remote areas, the migration of endangered nomads in Mali, and most recently, fishermen losing their ancient livelihoods in Senegal.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports, Badkhen will be speaking at UH Mānoa this Friday (10/12/2018) on “The Contemporary Writer and Social Responsibility.”

Artist Tommy Hite is perhaps best known for his realistic paintings of dumpsters around Honolulu.  The ubiquitous bins are often in scenic locations, and who can forget Hite’s dumpster at the end of the rainbow?  His new show features historic European portraits, localized, for example, someone’s regal hat becomes a Zippy’s chili container.  HPR's Noe Tanigawa reports, it’s all in the details.

Interesting cups, plates, bowl and glasses can make eating much more pleasurable.  An exhibition at the Louis Pohl Gallery in Chinatown offers art for everyday appreciation: paintings by Lauren Okano, glass by Mark Mitsuda, and ceramics by Erin Yuasa.

Planning for Honolulu’s civic center, the Neal Blaisdell complex, started before Hawai‘i was even a state.  The concert hall, arena and exhibition hall were completed in 1964, when O‘ahu’s population was less than half what it is today.  Now, a major redesign is aiming for a revitalized community space that attracts global artists in their prime.   HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports.

Sculptor Lonny Tomono is returning from an artist's residency in New York City, just in time to celebrate a show he’s got at Ars Café on Diamond Head.  The classic, but sensuous, wood sculptures were all made in Tomono's studio outside Hilo.

Maui seems to be getting a handle on its homeless population, but finding affordable rentals is still the main problem, whether you’re on the street yet or not.  A recent study concluded Maui will need 14,000 more housing units by 2025, and while that target may be hard to hit, new ideas in neighborhood living are starting to take root on the Valley Isle.

The latest word is, homeless numbers on Maui may be going down after recent storms, as several families and individuals have decided to seek permanent housing.  At last count, there were about 900 people homeless on the Valley Isle.  HPR’s series about housing on Maui continues with a look at what is working to shelter the homeless, and what is ahead to create housing they can afford.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports.

Rain, wind and flooding on Maui have put extra pressure on the homeless.  Authorities say, some take advantage of shelters, but they aren’t sure what the majority do.  Ad hoc living spaces on the island run the gamut from a tarp to tents to shacks with electricity and wifi.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa took a tour recently with a Maui social worker. 

Family life has changed on Maui, according to Maude Cumming, Executive Director of the Family Life Center, Maui’s primary homeless outreach agency.  Changing families, population growth, and high flying real estate are all factors in the spread of homelessness, but Family Life Center is finding ways to rebuild community.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports.

In this segment, it’s a pleasure to take you to an amazing homeless shelter and affordable housing complex on Maui. 

The recent Lahaina brush fire burned down thirteen houses and threatened residents all the way to Kā‘anapali.  The fire advanced to the perimeter of Ka Hale A Ke Ola, a homeless housing center, whose 300 residents felt the heat on their backs as they evacuated.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports that center, which emerged without a scorch, is part of Maui’s housing safety net.

According to Buddhist tradition, summer is the time of year that spirits of the dead return to visit with their loved ones on earth.  Far from being a scary thing, the idea is a village-wide celebration to welcome them back. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa and Catherine Cruz discussed Hawai‘i style bon dance on The Conversation.

A plucky little gallery on the Hanalei River is mighty glad not to have seen flooding over the weekend.  Still, it’s a surprise to area regulars that Ola’s Hanalei, known for its array of fine art and crafts, will be closing at the end of October.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa spoke with the owner of Ola’s yesterday, as intermittent downpours fed a rising Hanalei River.

Baritone Quinn Kelsey is in demand in New York, Rome, London, Paris, and more.  He’s known for the rich quality of his voice, and a magnetic stage presence, both qualities he discovered and developed growing up in Hawai‘i.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports Kelsey is a prime example of successfully leveraging local opportunities.

Like a health club, a co-working space offers group or private space to work, office amenities, coffee, and a collegial atmosphere.  Self-employed people and start-ups, especially, have embraced the phenomenon. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports people of all ages are getting into the game as office culture changes in the 21st century.

The way people work is changing these days as companies outsource, and the gig economy advances.  Co-working hubs, that is, places for people to work alone or together, are proliferating around the globe. Honolulu is in the happy space of having several unique neighborhood hubs.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa visits a few of them this week.

Election season is perhaps a good time to ask, What is leadership?  Qualities like strength and charisma come to mind, but in 2013, Forbes magazine offered this definition:  Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports this definition of leadership applied in pre-contact Hawai‘i.

The Honolulu Museum of Art is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Hawai‘i by commissioning new art work.  They are sponsoring a series of collaborations between eminent local artists and Japanese masters.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports on the first collaboration this weekend, involving a master of feminine style taiko drumming, and a shamisen player who’s jammed with Herbie Hancock.

There’s a summery show of flowers and figures on view at the Halekūlani Hotel now.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports, a local painter is pulling together many parts of the community, in life and on canvas.

Values are a frequent theme this political season, and on Maui, a community group is working to ensure that the values and can-do attitude of previous generations are a part of everyone’s life today.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa takes us on a visit to the Maui Nisei Veterans Memorial Center on Go For Broke Place.

The 41st Annual Prince Lot Hula Festival is set for this Saturday and Sunday in a new venue.   This event, now at ‘Iolani Palace, is cherished as the largest non-competitive hula gathering in the islands.  Twenty distinguished hālau will perform, as the Moanalua Gardens Foundation pays tribute to chant and hula from Hawai‘i Island.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa spoke with Professor Kalena Silva, who will be honored with the Namakahelu Oli Award.

Affordable housing got a boost on Maui recently when Governor Ige signed a bill that will help keep rents stable for 142 apartments on Front Street and build more affordable rentals in Lahaina. In the first of a series about housing on Maui, HPR's Noe Tanigawa reports on Maui's struggle to match incomes to housing costs.

Bruno Mars tickets are on sale again!  The third Mars concert at Aloha Stadium is scheduled for Thursday, November 8, 2018.  Tickets go on sale Friday, August 3, 2018, 10am.  Online only.  Hawai‘i fans get first crack at the tickets--it's zipcodes from the 808 only for the first 48 hours of ticket sales.  That, of course, did not stop bots from snapping up a huge percentage of tickets the last two times we did this, and websites are still reselling them at over fifty times the original price. But, here we go again, as Ticketmaster tries to spin off new ways to sell tickets, and our local Consumer Protector sits waiting for leads.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports on what we've learned.

Honolulu is in full summer mode.  Sunny days, surf is up on the east side, everyone’s wearing their coral friendly sunscreen, and happy hours are thriving, especially with live music.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports on one young singer/songwriter who is making his mark.

Volcano notwithstanding, Hilo’s Paradise Roller Girls pulled off the 2nd Annual Big Island Brawl last month, with roller derby teams from across the state competing.  O‘ahu’s spunky team, Pacific Roller Derby, was there, and once a month they invite their Honolulu fans to a game.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa offers this report from the Coast Guard’s Hideaway Club at Kalaeloa.

Childish Gambino’s viral video, “This is America,” offers a cold view of American culture that has sparked streams of comment online.   Gambino says he made the song for people to play on the 4th of July.  Spinoffs on Youtube beg the question, if a Hawai‘i version of “This is America” were done, what would it say?  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa asked a local hip hop crew, the Super Groupers, what they would include in a version of “This is Hawai‘i.”

What is Muslim culture?  That’s the question posed by the Shangri La Center for Islamic Art, Culture, and Design.  Through a series of imaginative immersion activities, they are giving Honolulu audiences a sampling from coffee through hip hop that just could convince us, America is more Muslim than we realized. 

It’s not unusual to see parents with their babies strapped on their chests these days, and one of the most highly rated baby carriers of this type is the Ergobaby, invented on Maui.  For the past six years, inventor Karin Frost has been investing proceeds from her baby carrier’s success in Hōkū Nui, a project to create a regenerative community in Upcountry Maui.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa visited Hōkū Nui with Kumu Hula Keali‘i  Reichel, who is creating a cultural center and home for his hālau as part of the project.