Volcano Art Center (VAC) is proud to announce the exhibition “Transfiguration, The Art of Mydock, on display from January 11th – February 16th, 2025. The exhibit is a retrospective exhibition of Mydock’s paintings, sculptures, collaborations and wood lathe-turned vessels. The gallery is open daily, 9am -5pm in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Meet the artist at the Opening Reception on Saturday, January 11th from 2-4pm or at a live demonstration on Saturday, January 25th from 11am -1pm. All events take place at VAC Gallery in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. While the exhibit is free to attend, park entrance fees apply.
The exhibit will also be available for viewing on VAC’s website upon opening. For more information please contact Emily C. Weiss at (808) 967-7565 or email sales@volcanoartcenter.org
2025 marks the 20th year of the annual Love The Arts gala!
This year’s, Love The Arts: “A Symphony of Wings,” takes place on Saturday, February 15th, from 5pm to 8:30pm
at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village.
A Symphony of Wings Menu:
Date, nut and olive tray
A flock of Kabobs to include:
Chicken Kabobs marinated in a yogurt mint sauce
Vegetable Kabobs with a balsamic reduction
Fruit Kabobs
Speckled saffron rice
Moroccan Couscous
Baba ghanoush
Hummus and Tzatziki
Fresh baked artisanal breads
Assorted desserts including:
Truffles
Hawaiian Baklava
Macaroons
For More information
Get Your Tickets Now!
General Ticket $125 VAC Member Ticket $100
Golden Circle Ticket $500: For Golden Circle Tickets call (808) 967-8222.
The VAC board of directors, staff, and event committees are filled with anticipation as we prepare to make this beloved gala our finest yet. “Golden Circle” premium ticket packages including champagne, front row seating, and overnight accommodations.
As a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization, Volcano Art Center relies on annual events such this gala to raise essential operating funds.
Unulau, a hālau hula under the direction of Kumu Hula Pele Kaio
Saturday, March 8, 2025| 10:30am
The Volcano Art Center’s Hula Kahiko program continues on Saturday, March 8th at 10:30am with a performance by Unulau, a hālau hula under the direction of Kumu Hula Pele Kaio, at the kahua hula (hula platform) near the Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
Unulau means “The multitudes of UNU”. UNU is a name that is shared by all hālau born from Unukupukupu. Unulau is anchored in the philosophy, teachings, and fire traditions of the hula ʻaihaʻa. Unulau continues to promote and perpetuate ʻike (knowledge) and education through hula – hula is the platform by which we engage, inspire, and inform our relationship to the environment and the spirit.
The performance will take place in a one-of-a-kind outdoor setting at the kahua hula (hula platform) in the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park near the Volcano Art Center Gallery. Audience members are encouraged to bring sun/rain gear and sitting mats. Due to ongoing construction in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park parking will be limited. We suggest carpooling or arriving early due to limited parking. Additional parking is available at the Kūkamāhuākea (Steam Vents) parking lot. While this is a free event, National Park entrance fees apply. These events are currently supported by Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. Please call (808) 967-7565 with any questions.
To donate to the Hula Arts at Kīlauea programs or to find out more information please contact Emily C. Weiss at info@volcanoartcenter.org or visit www.volcanoartcenter.org.
Thursday Night at the Center with Douglas Herman
This presentation explores the art and engineering involved in building a large canoe in traditional times, from the making of the stone tools to the weaving of the sails and the lashing and gluing of the parts. It demonstrates the ingenuity of Pacific Islanders, living on volcanic islands with no usable metals, in determining the best materials and methods for using only what they had at hand to make these amazing vessels. A thousand years ago or more, peoples living on small islands in the Pacific Ocean were able to build large voyaging canoes that could travel over 2000 miles and back between remote islands. The presentation will include hands-on materials.
Douglas Herman is the Executive Director of the Pacific Worlds Institute, an educational non-profit providing culturally grounded educational services that intersect traditional culture and contemporary science. He is a cultural geographer specializing in Indigenous culture and knowledge, with a PhD in Geography from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and a BA in Comparative Religion from Dartmouth College. In 2000 he created Pacific Worlds as a web-based indigenous-geography education and cultural documentation program for Hawai‘i and the Pacific Islands. From 2007-2019 he served as Senior Geographer at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). A Hawaiian-language speaker, Doug began participating in the Ho‘okū‘ikahi ceremony at Pu‘u Koholā heiau in 2000. He crewed on Hōkūleʻa during the Chesapeake Bay leg of the World Wide Voyage, and has written several popular articles and academic publications on the values of the voyaging canoe and what they teach us about how to live on planet earth. In 2013 he built his own outrigger sailing canoe from plans by James Wharram and blogged about the process of traditional canoe building, based on research and interviews. Over the course of his career Doug has had direct knowledge transmission from over 150 elders and culture-keepers in Hawai‘i, Micronesia and Indian Country. He has dedicated his professional and personal life to the perpetuation of traditional culture and the values it teaches us.
Thursday night at the Volcano Art Center, focusing on art, Hawaiian culture, and our environment. The series is intended to inspire, and enhance your appreciation of art and life experience, while fostering community connections. This presentation is free, although a donation is greatly appreciated.
Liko A’e Spring Camp – The Volcano Art Center is proud to offer the Liko A’e Spring Camp Program. The Camp will be held at VAC’s Niaulani Campus, Monday – Friday, 9A.M. – 2:30 P.M. Open to Keiki ages 8-14 years old. The deadline to register is Friday, March 10, 2025.
Register by March 3, for a $50 discount.
The Camp will include screen printing, ceramics, journal painting, performing arts, drawing, and more.
Bring snacks, a lunch, a water bottle, a jacket, and a smile for tons of fun!
Please call the Volcano Art Center for more information at (808) 967- 8222.
Cost: $250 per child/ $230 for members of VAC
$50 discount if registered before Monday, March 3
Financial scholarships are available for those in need. Apply for a scholarship Here
Volcano Art Center’s Hula Arts at Kīlauea performance series continues on Saturday, April 12, with a hula kahiko performance featuring Kumu Lehua Bray hālau o Maunalei. The performance is part of a year-round series sponsored by the Volcano Art Center. Hula hālau from across Hawai‘i are invited to perform each month. The hour-long performance begins at 10:30am at the kahua hula (platform) in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Park entrance fees apply.
Lelehua Maunahina Bray was born in Kealakekua, Hawai’i, named after her great-grandmother, Lydia Maunahina Dusson -Bray, a composer, entertainer, and hula exponent she was destined to be a part of hula. Lelehua ‘ūniki graduated in 2001 from Kumu Hula Michael Pili Pang and taught within his school for five years before taking the reins of her own hālau in 2009. “My contribution to my community is to share Hula as I have been taught from my lineage.
Hālau Maunalei is located in Kealakekua and shares hula with students from Keiki to Kūpuna. The Hālau continues to participate in many community events throughout Kailua-Kona and Hawaii Island!
Kumu Hula Lelehua’s mission has always been to teach others to love and embrace the traditions and the art of hula passed down to her!
The presentation is presented authentically in an outdoor setting, rain or shine without electronic amplification. Audience members are encouraged to bring sun/rain gear and sitting mats, and to arrive early as parking at the Visitor’s Center is limited, additional parking is available at the Steam Vents parking lot
The Volcano Art Center is a non-profit art and educational organization created in 1974 to promote, develop, and perpetuate the artistic and cultural heritage of Hawai‘i’s people and environment through activities in the visual, literary, and performing arts. Visit www.volcanoartcenter.org
Mahalo!