Join us at the Mill for a not-to-be-missed reading of Mayumi Oda’s Happy Veggies with Kona’s own drag queen Alex Lee! This interactive performance of Happy Veggies will be followed by a hands-on art activity guided by artist Jin An Wong, inspired by the beauty, shapes and colors of Mother Nature’s abundant gardens.
This program is open to all–families, friends and individuals from ages 5 to 95! Participants are encouraged to wear a color inspired by their favorite fruit or vegetable. Children under 8 years old must be accompanied by an adult.
Registration is required for this event (*limited to 15 guests). This program is free to the public with a suggested donation of $10.
About the Exhibition: Pages of Mayumi Oda’s children’s book, Happy Veggies, come to life in this exhibition which invites guests into a garden, full of abundance, to meet Mother Nature and her many vegetables. Works in the exhibition include a curated selection of prints, paintings, etchings and drawings by Oda, many of which have never been exhibited. Bring your ‘ohana and friends to experience the Mill Gallery transformed into a lush wonderland to explore, relax and create. Mural installations by Ira Stivers and local artists. This exhibition is free and open to the public.
Exhibition Events:
- Exhibition on View: March 30 - June 29
- Opening Reception: Saturday, March 30 from 5:00 - 7:00pm
- Studio & Garden Tour with Mayumi Oda: Saturday, May 11 from 9:30am - 12:00pm
About the Artists
Alex Lee
Proudly born and raised in Kailua-Kona, Alex Lee has been a professional drag artist for four years. Lee first started getting into drag because she fell in love with the absolute freedom that the art form entails. “You are free to completely express yourself and your art is valid in any shape in any form it is pure self expression! What inspires me the most to do drag is not only is it a way to tell my own stories through art but also help to inspire others and positively influence everyone that I am performing to.” Lee hopes that people walk away from her performances feeling inspired, motivated, and “seen.” Alex Lee recently won the Ms. My Bar Pageant in 2023 and looks forward to all that the future holds.
Arne Jin-An Wong
An Emmy & CLIO award winning director, animator, artist and designer, JinAn is an accomplished fine artist, graphic designer, animation artist, children’s book illustrator, and instructor for animation and art. In animation, he worked on TRON, Heavy Metal, All Dogs Go To Heaven, the Tom & Jerry Movie, Tales of the Maya Skies, and Dora the Explorer to name a few projects. He has taught at the Santa Monica Academy of Art & Technology, San Francisco Academy of Art University, California Academy of the Arts, Hong Kong University of Technology, Donkey Mill, SKEA, and currently teaches art and animation at Hoʻokena Elementary School. One of his favorite pastimes is doing caricatures. Mayumi Oda is a good friend and he apprenticed under her in the art of hand-pulled silkscreens. JinAn is a participating artist in the Opening Reception of Happy Veggies where he'll draw caricatures for visitors.
This exhibition is made possible through support from The Hiroaki Elaine & Lawrence Kono Foundation, Holualoa Inn, Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Biennium Grant, County of Hawai‘i Contingency Funds from the offices of Dr. Holeka Goro Inaba and Rebecca Villegas, and our community of individual donors.
