Letter to Members and Supporters
Dear Members and Friends of Honolulu Printmakers,
Almost 30 years ago, the Honolulu Academy of Arts invited the Honolulu Printmakers to take up residence in the newly-renovated Linekona School. Trustee Henry Clarke and then-director George Ellis saw the value of having a grassroots creative community embedded within their institution and understood how we would help open up the Museum to a more diverse population and breathe life into the nascent Academy Art Center. As a de-facto nonprofit-in-residence we did just that, contributing significant energy to that place through our open studio, exhibitions, workshops, and outreach programs. Over the last three decades tens of thousands of people have attended or been impacted by our events and operations. We’re proud of our contributions and grateful for the long-term collaboration.
You may have heard that the Honolulu Museum of Art intends to close Linekona for extensive renovations in the near future, and after multiple discussions with leadership at the Museum, it seems the best path forward for all involved is for the Honolulu Printmakers to secure a new studio space as soon as possible. We will establish a vibrant, independent, and permanent home for Honolulu Printmakers, where we can fully develop our programming and continue to fulfill our mission.
As a member or friend of ours no doubt you’re aware of the good work that the Honolulu Printmakers is known for, but I’ll reiterate it here. Our mission is to promote print culture in Honolulu and throughout the state of Hawaii, with the goal of nurturing a sustainable creative community within which artists can realize their potential through print. We accomplish this through community outreach and education, a high-caliber exhibition and visiting artist program, and perhaps most importantly, our community-access printmaking studio, the only one of it’s kind in the state.
That last bit is crucial: a physical space where the community can come together (socially-distanced these days, of course) and which supports the artistic and professional development of local artists of all ages and backgrounds.
Honolulu Printmakers has been hammering out a vision of an expanded scope of programming and operations that puts artists first and positions printmaking as a unique and powerful tool for individual and community development and expression. To do this we need a physical space that is large and flexible enough to accommodate our technical requirements, and within which we can expand our goals for education and outreach, and grow our exhibition and visiting artist programs. We have been thinking along these lines for a couple of years, and have developed a sustainable plan for programming, which, with a little creativity, we can quickly refresh and implement in light of the current pandemic. There’s no reason why Honolulu shouldn't have a world-class, independent print center supporting the technical needs of a diverse local arts community while hosting innovative exhibitions and visiting artists from around the Pacific Rim.
Frankly, what we really need now is someone, or a few people, who want to help us move on to our next chapter, who want to see something truly remarkable established in this town — something community-focused, artist-run and artist-oriented, independent from existing institutions. We will soon share this news with the greater Honolulu community as well, casting a wide net for leads on a space and support.
We have scheduled a Zoom talk story session on Saturday, August 22, at 3:00 pm, and invite all members and friends of Honolulu Printmakers to join in to ask questions and brainstorm about next steps. You are a valuable part of the organization, and we want to include you throughout this transition. Please see the invite information below. If you have specific questions or connections to share, please feel free to email beforehand so we can have a productive and positive conversation about the future of Honolulu Printmakers.
Duncan Dempster, Executive Director
Honolulu Printmakers Board of Directors
Hannah Craft, Jeffrey Davis, Brady Evans, Paul Anthony Galang, Vince Hazen, Leslie Hopf, Alan Levy, Elizabeth Lowrey, Marcia Pasqua, Dieter Runge, April Sham, John McCaskill, Paul Weissman, Yuhuan Zhang
Join us on Saturday, August 22, at 3:00 pm
https://zoom.us/j/2756382809?pwd=ZnhBMlBDRTRETE1Wc2c5cFFLNDFaZz09
