Kapa maker Roen Hufford of Waimea (Hawaiʻi Island) is one of nine cultural practitioners honored by the National Endowment for the Arts 2023 National Heritage Fellowship Award. Hufford carries on the labor-intensive traditional art of ka hana kapa (making barkcloth) with designs inspired by the richness of her Hawaiian environment and is a leading figure in the reclaiming of this nearly lost art.
![](https://sfca.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231012-CM7060-HuffordRoenKumulipo--153x300.jpg)
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![Rectangle of kapa painted and printed with triangles and chevron shapes evoking mountain peaks. Colors are shades of yellow, green, brown, and black.](https://sfca.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Hufford_Pii-Ka-Mauna_5735-240x300.jpg)
![Long rectangular piece of kapa with a pebbled texture and light reddish-brown color.](https://sfca.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Hufford_Alaea_5658-200x300.jpg)
![Wide rectangular piece of kapa painted and printed with bold zig-zag lines in shades of yellow, pink, orange, green, and black.](https://sfca.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Hufford_Ka-Papa-Honua_5733-300x240.jpg)
Three kapa pieces by Roen Hufford (“Alaea”, “Ka Papa Honua (strata of earth)”, and “Piʻi Ka Mauna”) were recently on display in the “Accession: recent additions to the Art in Public Places Collection” exhibit at Capitol Modern (Hawaiʻi State Art Museum). “Alaea” will be on display in the “Ke Ao Lama” exhibit at Capitol Modern, June – December 2024. The SFCA Art in Public Places Collection currently has six kapa pieces made by Hufford.
![](https://sfca.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ka-papa-honua_Accession.jpg)
This post was updated on May 28, 2024.