Where People, Art & Nature Meet
About the artist... Keith Beardsley was born in Portland, Oregon but has lived in Hawai‘i since he was two. Keith’s grandfather, a carpenter who made a bandsaw for him, was a key to his interest in woodworking. Keith began doing serious woodworking in 1985. Like LEARN MORE >>
Jeremy Bigelow grew up in Massachusetts, and became interested in woodworking at the age of 10. In shop class, at age 15, he knew he wanted to become a woodworker. After high school, he became a machinist by trade, and put together a set of woodworking machinery. LEARN MORE >>
Gene Buscher was trained as a draftsman, but decided to take up woodworking when he left his native California to live on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. He says, “I had a carver friend who let me be his apprentice, and he showed me how to do the kind of carving I use to LEARN MORE >>
Wesley was born and raised on the Big Island. He became interested in woodworking in 2004, learning the trade from his father, and experimenting on his own. All the wood used in his work is from salvaged trees found on the Big Island, making his process as LEARN MORE >>
Erin Datlof's art brings science, nature, and jewelry together using stylized designs of endemic and indigenous species to showcase the Hawaiian flora and fauna. This helps to interpret the park environment through inspirational koa wood line art. “Hopefully my LEARN MORE >>
Greg Eaves was born on Oahu and raised on the Big Island where he learned the trade of wood working from his father. Over the past 20 years, Greg has developed his skills and now is the fourth generation in a long line of master craftsmen. Greg's LEARN MORE >>
Mats Fogelvik, born in Sweden in 1959, is a designer/artist and wood-worker. In 1987, he attended an art and furniture making school in Stockholm, and worked as a teacher for wood shop classes during 1988. His world adventures landed him on Maui in 1991, since then LEARN MORE >>
I have been turning for about 20 years and I have always been involved with woodworking since I could remember; As a kid I would make bows and arrows, tree houses, boats, and go-carts with wooden wheels. As a teenager I started building RC planes following my LEARN MORE >>
Ron Garten, an orphan since he was 12 and on his own at 14, worked his way through high school on the vegetable farms of Selinus Valley, California. A gifted athlete, he got a scholar-ship to junior college in Salinas and transferred to the University of Nevada, LEARN MORE >>
Stewart Ian Geller (SIG) was raised in New York City, and has lived in Hawai’i since late 1993. He studied art at City College of New York, the State University of New York at New Paltz, and the University of Hawai’i at Hilo, where he graduated in 1995 with a B.A. LEARN MORE >>
Stephen Gross has lived on the Big Island since 1980, first moving to the Kona side where he lived for six years before moving to Hilo where he now resides. Gross is a retired RN and self-taught woodworker. When he first started out, he learned mostly from ads LEARN MORE >>
Mike Hendrickson has been producing marquetry for over twelve years. He apprenticed with S. Mark Ingram of Haiku, Maui and has assisted him in teaching marquetry classes on O`ahu and Maui. Mike lives in South Kona and now teaches his own classes on the Big LEARN MORE >>
Born on the Central Coast of California Thomas lived a somewhat nomadic life growing up, living in seven separate bio-regions and attending twelve different schools before graduating high school in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1972. It was 1985 when Thomas seized LEARN MORE >>
James Lovell, whose mother is the granddaughter of Colonel Richardson of Queen Liliu‘okalani’s court, describes himself as “hapa haole” (part white, part Hawaiian). He is a graduate of Punahou High School and the University of Hawai`i on O`ahu and is a former police LEARN MORE >>
Hugh was born in Indiana and raised and educated in the Indiana/Michigan area where he met his future wife Jacqueline. Eventually the warmer climate of the southwest won out the Midwestern winters and he gave up his construction business for a power company in LEARN MORE >>
In 1968, when he was thirteen, Frank McClure’s family moved to Kailua, O`ahu. Since they lived only two blocks from the beach, his life revolved around surfing, diving, and fishing. After finishing school, he moved to Kaua`i in 1975 to find less crowded waves. LEARN MORE >>
Visionary wood lathe artist John Mydock grew up in Miami with a woodworker, boat-builder God-father; “I was exposed to excellence and attention to detail that continues to challenge me as I strive to improve my craft. My love of working with wood, combined with 40 LEARN MORE >>
Born and raised on the East Coast, Skye came west nearly thirty years ago. He lived on windward O`ahu for nine years, and then taught English in Japan for a few years before moving to Volcano over fifteen years ago. Skye is a builder by trade and does his carving by LEARN MORE >>
Perry Policicchio has been working with wood since junior high in Dearbom, Michigan. He got straight A’s in shop and was promoted to Shop Assistant in high school. He then began an entrepreneurial career, opening his own bakery right after high school and running it LEARN MORE >>
Originally from Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota, Carter ran away from home over 40 years ago to attend the University and Hawai`i. His intent was to stay in Hawai`i a couple of years then return to Minnesota, where he could become a great and, of course, famous LEARN MORE >>
David and his wife Doni have lived on the Big Island since 1999. A fifth generation carpenter, he has been creating furniture since 1986. Their son Matt mills the logs into lumber that they use to build their furniture. David has attended woodworking and LEARN MORE >>
Mike moved to Volcano in 1972 and is a self-taught woodworker. His knowledge of local woods has come from hands-on experience developed over the past twenty-five years. He designs many of the pieces he builds, starting from a three-dimensional sketch to work out LEARN MORE >>
Jeff has a BFA from Washington University’s School of Fine Arts which naturally included courses in art history. It was his study of Asian art history with Dr. Nelson Wu that inspired Jeff to travel throughout Southeast Asia to see temples and shrines. While there, LEARN MORE >>
By combining Hawaiian Koa with woods from around the world, Big Island artisans Tim and Tiffany Shafto, ASID, create the beautiful contrasts that are the signature of DeEtte and Allen designs. Hawaiian Koa wood (Acacia Koa) is only found in the Hawaiian Islands LEARN MORE >>
Gregg developed an initial love of woodworking in junior high in Montana. He studied history and political science at the University of Montana and moved to Alaska. There, he met his wife and ended up working with his father-in-law building furniture and LEARN MORE >>
Michael’s interest in art began as a young boy growing up in Chicago. He attended the University of Cincinnati as an industrial design student but left after three years, discontented with the formality and lack of freedom the design business allowed. Michael moved LEARN MORE >>
Troy has lived in Hawaii since 1986 and is a farmer and a tree cutter. Growing up in the Midwest enjoying fishing, farming and hunting, Troy has a lifelong passion for the outdoors and his love of nature and sustainability is reflected in his LEARN MORE >>
Tai Lake is a master woodworker known far and wide for his artfully designed furniture and sculptures; Mary Jo Lake holds the fort together and is wild about fused glass; and son Jonah Lake is the full-time assistant in the woodshop while banging out endless LEARN MORE >>
Timothy Van Cleave was born and raised in Hawai`i. He got his start in wood turning when his high school shop teacher introduced him to Jack Straka, one of Hawai`i’s master woodturners who has now retired. After high school, active duty with the Navy Seabees took LEARN MORE >>
John App‘s work is handmade at his home workshop in Milolii, Hawaii. It is his goal to show the fabulous wood of Hawaii in the most exciting manner so that all can enjoy its beauty and unique characteristics. John feels this memorializes the soul of the wood created LEARN MORE >>
Alan Wilkinson was born in Glendale, California in 1943 and moved to Hawai`i in 1962. He attended college at UH-Manoa with interests in sculpture and Asian art history. He began Wilkinson Koa Furniture in 1968. Wilkinson works in all woods although clients LEARN MORE >>
We look forward to hearing from you. Our main Gallery in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Our Niaulani Campus Admin Office & Gallery in Volcano Village is open Monday-Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Volcano Art Center Niaulani Campus Admin Office
19-4074 Old Volcano Rd, Volcano, HI 96785
808-967-7565 (Gallery in HVNP)
808-967-8222 (Admin Office & Mini Gallery in Volcano Village)
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 129 Volcano, HI 96785
Open Daily (Gallery): 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Mon-Fri (Office & Mini Gallery): 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
The Volcano Art Center (VAC) is proud to announce The Hawaiʻi Nei Invitational Exhibition: Species Of Concern on display at the VAC
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Teaching artist, Erik Wold, will provide instruction for these classes. Our morning class will explore a variety of handbuilding
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Juried art exhibit celebrating 150 years of Hawaiʻi honoring King Kamehameha, The Great. On June 11, 1872, Hawai‘i held its first King
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