As a community art center, the Donkey Mill is a gathering place to connect and collaborate through arts and culture. Opportunities to grow as individuals and as a community are at the heart of what we offer. Our special events held throughout the year range from artist talks and film nights at the Mill to our popular Annual Art Auction, Pua Nā Pua Arts Festival and Cool Fusion: Festival of 1,000 Bowls held at area venues.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Art is a Priority!: Annual Art Auction
February 3 – 27, 2021
On View: February 3 – February 26, 2021 during open hours, Wed – Sat from 10:00am – 6:00pm
On-line Silent Auction Opening Date: Saturday, February 13
On-line Silent Auction Closing Date: Saturday, February 27
Live Auction Date: Saturday, February 27 from 5:00 – 6:30pm
Registration for the live stream event is required
Location: Donkey Mill Art Center / Online
During this extraordinary year, the importance of the arts has never been so clear. This year’s online art auction, Art is a Priority!, celebrates art as an essential component of our individual and collective well-being and health. As West Hawaiʻi’s premier event for art enthusiasts and collectors, the Donkey Mill’s fourteenth annual art auction will be held online with the silent auction taking place from February 13 to 27, culminating in an exciting livestream auction event on Saturday, February 27, 2021 from 5:00 to 6:30pm HST.
The online auction features works by more than 70 renowned artists, ranging in value from $100 to $10,000+. In addition to the wide selection of works by established and emerging artists from Hawai’i and beyond, this year’s auction also debuts 80+ new works on 1’x1’ panels created by invited artists specifically for the event.
Art is a Priority! Exhibition Tours
*Registration Required*
Saturdays, February 6, February 13, and February 20 from 2:00 – 3:00pm
Admission: $5 suggested donation
Join us at the Mill for a tour of our auction exhibition Art is a Priority! which features over 120 works of art from emerging and established artists from Hawaiʻi and beyond. Barbara Pfaffenberger and Mina Elison will share insights on some of the auction’s outstanding artworks and the artists who created them.
Artist Talk with Jeff Downing (Zoom)
Thursday, March 18 from 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Host: Jake Boggs
Open and free to the public
Zoom Registration Required HERE
Born in Port Chester New York, a suburb of New York City, Jeff Downing discovered the art of ceramics while majoring in music composition at the State University of New York at Purchase. Drawn to the spirit of experimentation and nonconformity that characterizes art and artists in California, Downing moved to San Francisco in 1985 where he rapidly became exposed to a broad spectrum of ceramic sculpture being produced and exhibited in the region. Downing studied with several well known artists in the San Francisco Bay Area and went on to earn his MFA from San Francisco State University in 1992. He has taught ceramics workshops and classes at various institutions throughout the country. Jeff exhibits his sculpture internationally and in the United States and he has received numerous awards for his work. He is currently in his 25th year on the faculty at San Francisco State University where he is a Professor of Art and the Head of the Ceramics Area.
PAST EVENTS
Cool Fusion: Festival of 1000 Bowls
September 25 & 26, 2020
This year’s celebration is special in many ways; not only is Cool Fusion back home at the Mill, we will be offering special bowl sets which include noodle food kits, providing participants with all of the ingredients and fixins to prepare and enjoy the traditional Hiyashi cold somen noodle dish safely, in the comfort of their own home.
For more information, and to purchase tickets please click the links below.
Annual Art Auction: Celebrating 25 years
February 29, 2020
Celebrating 25 years of visionary arts and culture, the Donkey Mill hosted Hawaiʻi Island’s premiere art event providing art enthusiasts and collectors rare access to a curated selection of works by established and emerging artists. The auction presents diverse pieces from local and national artists who donate their art to the Donkey Mill Art Center in support of our mission to provide art experiences and opportunities for all ages and abilities.
Mochitsuki & Kadomatsu Making 2019
December 28, 2019
Join us at the Donkey Mill as we bring back a long-lost and beloved cultural and Family event: Mochitsuki at the Mill! This centuries-old Japanese tradition was a Donkey Mill tradition up until 2012, when other large events began to demand more of our time. On the eve of our 25th year we’re returning to our roots and bringing back the Japanese New Year traditions of Mochitsuki (mochi pounding) and Kadomatsu (gate pine) making at the Mill.
Let some focused aggression be set free during the pounding of rice for mochitsuki and practice centering and a bit of poetry while making a kadomatsu, a New Year’s decoration inviting ancestral spirits for your home. Taste a variety of ways that you can enjoy consuming the ‘rice spirit’ for purity, strength and spiritual wealth as we bring in the New Year with old traditions and new faces.
