SFCA Board of Commissioners Art in Public Places Committee meeting, Wednesday November 13, 2024. 10:00 a.m. in the ground floor Multipurpose Room in No. 1 Capitol District building (home to Capitol Modern, the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and several other state government offices). Meeting will also be on Zoom; link provided on State of Hawaiʻi Public Meetings Calendar (Calendar.eHawaii.gov/calendar). These meetings are open to the public. Agenda will be posted to that calendar on November 4, 2024.
About the SFCA Board of Commissioners
Decisions about artwork purchases, exhibit visits, and ongoing commissioned works of art projects are made by the SFCA Board of Commissioners. Appointed by the state governor, the Board of Commissioners oversees the Executive Director, provides input, and approves spending. Commissioners are volunteers and do not receive compensation for their duties.
Get involved
Individuals may submit written testimony on posted agenda items in advance of the meeting via email to SFCA Secretary [email protected] or by mail addressed to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, 250 South Hotel Street, 2nd Floor, Honolulu HI 96813. Individuals interested in signing up to provide oral testimony on posted agenda items at the meeting may submit their name, email, and phone number to [email protected]. Testimony presented during the meeting will be limited to three minutes each.
About the artwork
Artwork in image: Emily Thomas, “Kolea”, 2010. Glass, copper, and wood sculpture. Art in Public Places Collection of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Purchased from the 2010 “Hawaiʻi Craftsmen 43rd Annual Statewide Juried Exhibition”. Currently on display at Ahuimanu Elementary School.
Artist statement: Emily Thomas’ work aspires to communicate the beauty and fragile balance of nature. She chose the kolea (Pacific Golden Plover) for its importance in Hawaiian oli (chants), mele (song), ‘olelo (language), and hula. These birds’ nest in Alaska and migrate to the Hawaiian Islands during the winter months. Thomas explains that in her work glass symbolizes the fragility of life while copper represents the bird’s strength and resilience. The bird is mounted on ocean-weathered driftwood. Thomas was born in Cooperstown, New York, but has lived in Hawai’i since she was two years old. She earned her BFA with a major in glass blowing from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa before receiving the Susan Steinhauser/Daniel Greenberg Scholarship to attend Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington.