Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718
USA
Return of ‘Alalā: Restoring The Voice Of Hawai`i’s Native Forests
Volcano Art Center is proud to present Return of ‘Alalā: Restoring The Voice Of Hawai`i’s Native Forests, a statewide multimedia art competition featuring Hawai`i’s endemic ‘Alalā. The exhibit will be on display at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park from September 3rd to October 9th, 2016. Proceeds from the exhibition support the reintroduction of this important species to Hawai`i’s native forests this fall. The exhibit is open to the public and free of charge although park entrance fees apply.
“The response to this collaborative conservation effort has been terrific,” states Gallery Manager Emily C. Weiss. VAC received over 80 artworks all featuring the ‘Alalā. From the artworks submitted the jurors: Paul Banko, Ph.D., Clifford W. Hague and Michelle Schwengel-Regal selected 43 works. Find out more about our jurors below.
Accepted artwork will be displayed at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park from September 3rd – October 9th, 2016. The opening reception will be September 3rd 2016 from 5-7pm at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Winners will be announced then!
“The community support and public outreach included in this exhibition exceeded expectations,” states Weiss. “Because of this VAC has decided to expand the Return of ‘Alalā Exhibition to the Niaulani Campus” The works that were not included in main selection by the jury will be on display Mon. – Fri., 9am -5pm at Volcano Art Center’s Administrative offices.
The Jurors
Paul Banko, Ph.D.
Specialty: Bird conservation biology, food web ecology
Research Interests: Bird ecology and restoration; ecology and evolution of feeding specialization; threats to food webs; historical ecology Banko, whose father was also a wildlife biologist, moved to Hawai`i as a teenager. He spent his time after college working on a variety of resource management jobs, including the removal of feral goats and the reintroduction of nēnē, at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. He also assisted his father with population surveys of the ‘ālala, which was disappearing rapidly in the 1970’s. After eventually deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps, Banko obtained his Ph.D. in wildlife science from the University of Washington in Seattle and returned to Hawaii to study the native birds. In 1988, he joined the Palila Restoration Project and, in time, went on to head the project. In the nearly 30 years since, Banko and his team have made it their mission to know everything there is to know about the palila and to apply that knowledge to its conservation. The project’s research and amount of new information published about the endangered species won Banko a Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior. He also led a team in the 1990’s to evaluate a series of releases of captive-reared ‘ālala that were intended to bolster the remnant Kona population. Although the extinction of the wild population could not be prevented, the lessons learned from these earlier releases will hopefully benefit efforts to reintroduce captive-reared ‘ālala to the wild in 2016.
Clifford W. Hague serves as a member of the Board of San Diego Zoo Global, and is Chair of the zoo’s Conservation Council. He also supports conservation in Hawai`i and many other places around the world. His most recent efforts in Hawai`i include the art collections Up Close and The Living
Endemic Birds Of Hawai`i Collection of Watercolor paintings by Marian Berger. The Up Close series features 10 of Hawai`i iconic birds and the Living Endemic Bird Collection encompasses the surviving 37 species and subspecies of Hawaiian endemic birds. Both Collections raise awareness and funds for Hawaiian Endangered Bird Programs. Hague has given countless hours of service as a Current director and past Chair of the Board of the Catalina Island Museum, served more than 15 years in the Rotary Club of Avalon, and served as a past board member and former Chair of the Board of the Catalina Island Conservancy for over a decade.
Michelle Schwengel-Regala is an artist whose work is strongly influenced by her background in science. Her undergraduate degree and graduate studies were in entomology, wildlife ecology, and conservation biology which offered an excellent foundation for her graduate certificate in Science Communication – Science Illustration from UC Santa Cruz.
She worked as a scientific and medical illustrator for 15 years before branching out into other types of art. Recently, she has coordinated local collaborative fiber projects including “Hook the Reef,” a crocheted coral reef project focusing on Hawaiian marine life, and yarnbombing installations under the pseudonym “archiPURLago” with the crew “theFUZZhawaii.” The largest pieces have been at Spalding House for the Honolulu Museum of Art in 2012 and 2014. Through her fine art she features life forms and science stories, especially of Hawaiian species.