In a black and white photo, a Native Hawaiian woman placed a long strand of lei onto a visitor. A group of women lay on the grass crafting dozens of lei in another picture. Aloha Tower stands prominently in the background.
The woman behind the camera was Kate Kelly. She and her husband, John, were longtime artists in Hawaiʻi documenting Native Hawaiian culture through art.
Cha Smith, a manager of the John and Kate Kelly Estate Collection, said the photographs were taken at a critical time, exemplifying the impacts of the tourism industry in the 1930s.
“Part of this story is the fact that Hawaiian people were forced into this industry because they had lost so much land,” Smith said.
“This was a bittersweet thing because it was gorgeous they were doing all of this work, but at the time, they were having to sell to tourists, who were here to visit and don’t have any idea what was going on with these families who were forced to sell lei for a living," Smith continued.
The photographs are never-before-seen images taken by Kate Kelly. They will be displayed as part of a larger exhibit celebrating the 100th anniversary of art created by John and Kate Kelly.
The Kelly's were artists from San Francisco, California who moved to Hawaiʻi in 1923. John died in 1962 and Kate in 1964.
John Kelly was an etcher and graphic artist who worked at the San Francisco Examiner and then the Star-Bulletin. Kate Kelly was a sculptor and a photographer.
Smith said when John quit his job at the newspaper to pursue his art, Kate had to provide for the family. She created and sold bronze sculptures molded into surfers, people fishing and lei makers.
Meanwhile, she would also arrange gallery showings at her Kahala home and secured two exhibits in New York, according to Smith.
She even entered John’s etching in the national Printmaking Association competitions in California and the Midwest — winning nearly every entry.
“As a family, they were trying to keep their act together and feed the family,” Smith said. “Her focus was trying to generate income.”
Smith said Kate would find artists who go to hotels and famous people to invite to the house in order to showcase her and her husband’s art.
The Kelly's lived on an outcrop of lava, an expanded fishing village. Their two-story shingle home overlooked the ocean.
It’s the same home Smith lives in with her partner, Colleen, who is a relative of the Kelly's, along with their 4-year-old dog Pixie.
Smith found envelopes of Kate’s photographs along with other artwork by John.
“She had an amazing eye,” Smith said.
Smith said she’s working on digitizing the artwork to preserve them for future generations.
The last exhibit was in 2021 with a focus on hula. But the upcoming exhibit has a broader theme, displaying over 40 images and sculptures.
“It really focuses on premiere — art that has not been seen before,” Smith said. “There’s an oil painting that has never been seen, two watercolors that are brand new to the world and all of Kate’s photos.”
The exhibit will be open to the public at the Downtown Art Center from Aug.1 - 13. The opening reception will be held on Aug. 4 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Click here for more information.
