Join us in celebration of the opening of the Kona iteration of He‘e Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing, a multi-site exhibition that is traveling throughout Hawai‘i during 2024 and 2025.
Event Details: Light pūpū will be served with a no-host bar. This event is free and open to the public. We encourage registration for this event although it is not required.
The reception begins at 5:00pm with opening protocals at 5:30pm. To begin the evening's program, Hālau Hula Maunalei will share a special hula honoring Kona’s celebrated surf.
About Hālau Hula Maunalei: Founded in 2009 in Hōlualoa, Hālau Hula Maunalei is led by Kumu Hula Lelehua Bray who studied under Kumu Hula Michael Pili Pang of Waimea. After teaching at Kumu Pang’s hālau for five years, she created her own hālau and now shares her gift of hula with students of all ages, from 5 to 75. Descending from a long line of celebrated kumu hula and kahuna, Kumu Bray’s mission is to teach others to love and embrace the traditions and art of hula as she has been taught through her lineage.
Exhibiting Artists: Solomon Enos, Daniel Ikaika Ito, Kaumakaiwa Kanakaʻole, Clifford Kapono, Haʻa Keaulana, Ian Kualiʻi, Tom Pōhaku Stone, and Cory Kamehanaokalā Taum
About the Exhibition: Heʻe Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing covers 2,000 years of surfing history and Indigenous creative expression, from the earliest stories of surfer deities to contemporary works of art and surfing innovations, through the lens of modern Kānaka Maoli creatives and cultural practitioners.
Exhibition on View: August 17 - September 14
Partners & Curatorial Teams: Arts & Letters Nuʻuanu – Maile Meyers, Josh Tengan, Cosmo Brossy and Allison Benz; Aupuni Space – Donnie Cervantes and Logan Rubasch; Manini Gallery at Hawaiʻi Theatre Center – Johnny Macas-Freire, José J. González, Forest Leonard, Daniel Thompson and Danesha Stallings; Paʻia Bay Coffee Bar – Carolyn Melenani Kualiʻi, Ian Kualiʻi; Whitney Boswell; East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center – Kanani Daley.
This exhibition and programming are made possible by support from The Hiroaki Elaine & Lawrence Kono Foundation, Holualoa Inn, Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Biennium Grant, Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, Atherton Family Foundation, The Creative City Advisory Fund, Core Group One, The James Simmons and Karen Rudolph Fund, Puʻuhonua Society, and our community of individual donors.
Featured artwork by Haʻa Keaulana, Alessa Uʻi Nani Quizon Holloway (detail), 2016