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Second Saturdays: Art, Fashion, Brunch in Chinatown

Noe Tanigawa
Noe Tanigawa
Noe Tanigawa
Credit Noe Tanigawa
Artist and art educator, Su Atta, is the Executive Director of Creative Art Experience, a non-profit seeking to provide art experiences for all, especially the underprivileged.

    First Fridays created a scene for arts and partners in Honolulu’s Chinatown.  Now the area’s shops and galleries want to do the same thing for families on Second Saturdays.  This Saturday,  The Fuzz will conduct valentine crochet fun at the Hawai‘i State Art Museum, and a craft fair will unfold at Next Door Lounge.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa found there’s a lot more going on too.

Artist, art educator, Su Atta, has been combining counseling and artmaking for over 30 years.  She says skills carry over into life.

Atta says it’s just a matter of erasing fear and diving into materials, which begin to have a visceral fascination of their own.  According to Atta, playing with clay, wire, paper mache, there’s a side benefit to art where we become mindful and present to the moment.  We feel better.   

“In the moment when the children or adults are engaged in a creative activity, they can forget about the trauma, they can focus on something that is feeding their soul.”

Su Atta
Credit Su Atta
Everyone loves "Shrinky Dinks"! Su Atta will show you how to paint on a large piece of plastic that is then exposed to heat and shrinks to a tough, clean, sharp looking finish. And you look like a hero for painting such detail!

Every Saturday Chinatown rules for getting a satisfying brunch, cruising some local fashion, and buying veggies for the week.  Every Second Saturday---you can Discover Art, too.  Youth Speaks, Hawai‘i’s seminal slam poetry group has evolved, according to participant, Malia Derden, who says it’s still open mic poetry but it’s not a competition. 

“Which is super cool because the whole dynamic of our Second Saturday poetry slam is changing.” It’s called Pacific Tongues.  It’s still all ages, and every week there’s a different topic . 

“So it’s just a great place for people in the community to educate each other.” 

This Saturday the focus will be on love---especially LGBTQ experiences.  Derden says she’s super excited about the topic and the youth from Kapi‘olani Community College who will be joining in the experience. 

This Saturday Pacific tongues at Marks’ Garage, 2pm—starting at 10am at Marks’, Su Atta and her team want you to make things, to experience losing yourself, if just for a minute.

“That’s what art does, I truly believe that.  I’ve seen it, they just delight and are ultimately surprised by “Wow, I created this painting, I’ve never touched watercolor before in my life!”

Doubtful?  Atta  swears it works and she’s been at this over 30 years.  She’ll help novices and everybody do a pleasing watercolor on one side of a paper, and on the other side, the artists will put an affirmation they want to keep in mind. 

I like what Thoreau said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.”  Feel free to use that one!

Noe Tanigawa
Credit Noe Tanigawa
If you're not in the mood for dim sum, catch brunch in Chinatown at Scratch or the always satisfying Downbeat.

  Whatever you make is going to look spiffy, ready to hang, because Atta and Louis Pohl Gallery are providing frames and wrap for your final project.  As you’re heading down Hotel Street toward the best bananas, avocados and dim sum on the island, stop at Next Door---that party palace is having a craft fair and it’s not the usual, as you can imagine.  They will open at noon.

Find out what Pacific Tongues is up to.  They begin at 2pm at Marks' Garage.

Next Door Craft Fair opens at noon:  Kaua'i As Why - handmade upcycled tote bags made from repurposed Kauai Coffee burlap bags,  Marnee Lou - handcrafted rugs made from crocheted bedsheets, Grandma G - driftwood magnets and aprons sewn from upcycled aloha wear.

There will be a small craft fair on Bethel Street too featuring Windward Independent Potters Fine Craft and Hanafuda Hawai'i.

Marks’ Garage 10am.   On the Spot hosts a fun class designed to teach and reinforce the fundamentals of improvised acting. Taught by R. Kevin Garcia Doyle, Garrick Paikai and Alissa Joy Lee.

Rumi Murakami will be at Ginger 13 on Pauahi Street.

In4mation will feature a pop up of classic T&C Surf designs by Steve Nazar,

Musical Improv 101 at Marks’ Garage 12pm.

See Roy Venter’s pop up Valentine shop at Pegge Hopper Gallery.

There's going to be music and entertainment fronting Marks' Garage:

Nuuanu Avenue Fine Art Fronting Marks Garage * Christie Knoll, Roping The Moon Studio and Jen May Pastores, Documentary Photographer, an interactive art experience enjoyable for all ages and boutique

* Hawaii Watercolor Association, demonstrations and exhibit

* Julia Cornell, Glass Artist

* Ukulele lesson by Chinatown Museum

Arts at Marks’ Great Lawn (Nuuanu and Pauahi)

* Brian Chang: Singing songs of life, love, & aloha…

* Chinatown Museum Keiki Band (Ukulele)

* Chinatown Museum “Hui” (Adult)

* Terry Oyama, solo guitarist, Island-inspired acoustic guitars

Noe Tanigawa covered art, culture and ideas for two decades at Hawaiʻi Public Radio.
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