Ka‘ū News Briefs, Friday, Aug. 19, 2022

KA'Ū'S CONGRESSMAN KAI KAHELE broke his silence Friday. He had been quiet since last Saturday's primary election that put Lt. Gov. Josh Green on the general election ballot as Democratic candidate for Governor of Hawai'i. Kahele, who also ran for Governor on the Democratic ticket, sent out a message saying, "Mahalo nui loa for joining Maria, ʻAleʻa, ʻIolana, Nāmaka, myself, and our entire ʻohana on this journey to return Hawaiʻi to the people.
    "Because of you, we were able to do so many things that no one thought possible. We ran a statewide campaign in 98 days without accepting more than $100 from any individual while denouncing PAC, corporate, and special interest monies. We raised $215,692.64 from 3,191 everyday working people with an average contribution of $63.95 and we did it without having a single fundraiser.
    "We took charge at debates and forums and asked the tough questions that no one would normally dare ask. We challenged the biased media and took positions that would be considered unconventional and politically risky. We were honest and gave straight answers.
    "At every turn, we dared to be different. We set out to show that there was a right way to win and a wrong way to win.

Kahele supporters waived mahalo signs around the island following the primary election that came up short for Kahele in his bid for governor. Photo from Kahele

    "I know there is a better way. And with your continued trust, faith, and aloha, we will ensure it becomes the only way.....
    "If you would like to ensure that our campaign was not run in vain, please continue to hold your elected officials accountable. Ask the tough questions and remain engaged. Never give up on the vision for a Hawaiʻi that belongs to our working class families.
    "Finally, I want to mahalo our statewide team that have been sign waving this week. From Kauaʻi to Waimea, from Oʻahu to Hilo we truly appreciate everyone that went out this week to say, Mahalo to the voters of Hawaiʻi.
    "We've come a long way in just three months, and I look forward to many more to come — together.
    "As I head back to finish my congressional term and the 117th Congress strong, know that it was an honor to serve as your U.S. Representative in Washington DC. It is an experience that has forever changed my life, and I will never forget the trust that you bestowed upon me to represent you — in the Hawaiʻi State Senate and in the halls of Congress.
    "I'm not sure what the future may hold for me and my family, but rest assured that whatever it is we do or wherever it is we may go, I will always be here, ready to fight for the Hawaiʻi we all deserve."

    Kahale serves as congressman for Kaʻū and all rural Hawai'i until his term ends Jan. 3.

Aumākua, personal family Hawaiian gods that are often wildlife, are depicted in the David Maes Gallegos  show at Volcano Art Center Gallery through Sept. 18. His new art also focuses on hula.  Image from Volcano Art Center

CIRCLE OF LIFE: KA PO'AI O KE OLA, BY DAVID MAES GALLEGOS, is the show that opened recently at Volcano Art Center gallery in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Gallery Manager Emily C. Weiss noted that the new works in this exhibition "are a combination of oil painting and pyrography, expertly rendered on locally sourced woods.”
 The show is also described as depicting images of hula and 'aumākua, personal gods.

   The exhibition runs through Sept. 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. A reception for the artist will be held Saturday, Aug. 27 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. While admission is free, park entrance fees apply.
    Gallegos was born in Denver, Colorado in 1954, a child and grandchild of Arapaho and Cheyenne ancestry. At a young age he and his family moved to San Francisco. At age 14 Gallegos received his first art award, First Place in Graphic Arts at the California State Fair. He earned awards and scholarships in painting and drawing while he completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with high distinction from California College of Arts and Crafts in 1974. In 1977 Gallegos received his Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Printmaking from the University of California, San Francisco.

David Gallegos

     Gallegos opened his first one-man show at Marshall – Myers Gallery in San Francisco in 1978. From 1978 to 1990 he exhibited in numerous one person and group exhibitions in California and worked with Tamarind lithographer, Ernest DeSoto.

    Between 1985 and 1986, he produced five limited edition lithographs, including his 1984 Chicago Night: No Defense Against Nuclear Weapons – Art for Peace lithograph. Posters of this nine-plate lithograph were sent to the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. The START treaties followed a year later in 1985.   In 1990, Gallegos was discovered by Zephyr Cove Publishing – Japan. He signed to a five-year contract from 1990 to 1995, and again from 2000 to 2003. The Artist traveled to Japan annually for exhibitions of his Artworks in Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.Gallegos has displayed his art and won awards in numerous one person and group shows nationally and internationally. His work is in many collections, including those at California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art, The Smithsonian, The Albright Kemper Museum in St. Louis, University of Arizona and The Richmond Art Center. His art also hangs in several private and corporate collections and has been featured in Architectural Digest, Art in America, Art Week, and the Encyclopedia of Living Artists.

    He has been featured in many news periodicals, from New York to Hawai'i, where he moved in 1984. He currently teaches and creates in his home at Spirit Art Studio in Kona.
    For more information, visit www.volcanoartcenter.org or call (808) 967-7565.

    Ono said, "With this exhibition, we hope to educate and increase the understanding of the island's socioeconomic landscape and ecosystem, to encourage artists and viewers to re-think the shop and drop mentality, and to stimulate our brains and hearts to find ways in which we may lower the carbon footprint on our island.

     He calls the event, The Trash Show Hawai'i Artist Recyle.  Entries must be original works of artists living on Hawai'i Island, not previously shown in a juried exhibit. Large works are encouraged. Entries are due on Oct. 1 at East Hawai'i Cultural Center for delivery between 9 a.m. and noon. Entry forms are available at https://ehcc.org/content/call-entry-trash-art-show-2022.

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