Volcano Art Center is proud to display Hawai‘i Island’s first outdoor sculpture garden. The garden, located at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village, provides a space for Hawai`i’s talented sculptors to share their works. The dynamic interplay of sunlight, mist, and rain that is Volcano’s variable weather, against a backdrop of old-growth ‘ohi‘a – koa rainforest, provides the ideal setting for outdoor sculpture. Inspired by the unique nature of Kilauea, artists’ creations are enhanced with a sense of place.
The current exhibit, Interplay: Art Science features sculptural works inspired by Nature, informed by Science, expressed as Art and opens April 28, 2019 – April 2021.
The current exhibit’s invited sculptors are Clayton Amemiya, Henry Bianchini, EMSY, Stephen Freedman, Elizabeth Miller, Michael Shewmaker, Erin Skelton, and Jonathan Sudler. The Volcano Art Center is also honored to permanently exhibit Randall Takaki’s Guardian. Sculptures on display are created from a variety of stone, metals and wood.
The venue itself is a landform sculpture. Under the direction of landscape architect, David Tamura, the once lawn-covered backyard of Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani administration building has been transformed into an inviting, walkable exhibit space.
Many volunteer hours and donations of native plants helped develop the venue into a quintessential Volcano garden. The design allows expansive as well as intimate views of the artwork to visitors.
A performance deck is included in the garden offering a space for daytime concerts and lectures. In addition, weekly guided tours which include the sculpture garden as well as the adjacent forest, are offered Mondays and Saturdays at 9:30 am. Visitors are also welcome to enjoy self-guided tours daily between the hours of 9am and 5pm.
Development of the Niaulani Sculpture Garden is made possible by grants from the Atherton Family Foundation and the Cooke Foundation. For additional information, please contact Julie Williams of the Volcano Art Center at (808) 967-8222.
