Joey Valenti of the Albizia Project points to the wood used for the last hale buildout.(Cassie Ordonio / HPR) A group of Native Hawaiians pulled out a 50-foot Macaranga tree they chopped down in Waimānalo. The plant, which is highly invasive, was used to build the last hale for the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture. The 28 hale, or houses, will dominate the floors of Festival Village at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center. Each Pacific nation and territory will have its own structure. The trees for the hale are set to be piled onto a truck from Waimānalo to the Convention Center today, acco ..read more

Local artists have created a giant lei mural for the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture. (Courtesy Of Solomon Enos) Local artists are putting the final touches on a giant plumeria lei mural that will grace the walls surrounding the state Capitol's reflecting pools. The mural, painted by several artists and volunteers over the last two weeks, stretches about 10 feet tall and a quarter mile long. As the lead artist and organizer, Meleanna Meyer crafted the mural as a grand welcome to the delegates of the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture. The art piece serves to reflect the rich c ..read more

Featured artist Estelle Inn (Hawaii Quilt Guild) Calling all quilters. A new exhibit on Oʻahu features the textile creations of the Hawaii Quilt Guild. The Conversation talked to Irene Sasaki, a co-chair of the exhibit, about what to expect from "40 Shades of Red." "It is our 40th anniversary and the anniversary stone is the ruby. So it works out perfectly that we wanted something to do with the color red. Every year, we have a special challenge that members can participate in, and the challenge this year was to get 40 fabrics that are red, and it should be different fabrics, and arrange them ..read more

FILE - Tia Carrere arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)(Ashley Landis / AP) You may know her as Cassandra from "Wayne's World" or Nani from "Lilo & Stitch" — or from one of her hundreds of film and TV credits. You may also know her as a Grammy winner, one of few to win Best Hawaiian Music Album — an award presented from 2005 to 2011. However you know her, there's no denying that Oʻahu-native Tia Carrere has blazed a trail in the entertainment industry for Hawaiʻi-born performers, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders ..read more

The Fiji group, Matavuvale, performed during a Tuesday press conference about the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture. (Office of Gov. Josh Green) Hawaiʻi officials say they are ready to host the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture next week. FestPAC, the largest gathering of Pacific Islanders, is anticipated to draw more than 100,000 people and over 2,100 delegates from 26 Pacific nations and territories. Festival Director Aaron Salā said Kiribati was the first Pacific nation to arrive on island, while others are expected to land later this week. “They will start coming in one af ..read more

Amy Iwano, president and CEO of the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra(Courtesy Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra) The Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra has named Amy Iwano as its new president and CEO, effective July 1. She takes over from Dave Moss, who left the organization in December 2023. Iwano comes from Performance Santa Fe in New Mexico where she also founded the Art + Sol Santa Fe Winter Arts Festival. She has also held executive positions in Chicago and Los Angeles. “With her decades of artistic experience and ties to numerous esteemed music organizations, HSO will continue to grow its programming to emb ..read more

FILE - Team Special Operations Forces Molokai Hoe 2012 haul past Diamond Head. (Oct. 7, 2012)(Courtesy Photo/U.S. Marines / Digital) Two iconic Moloka’i channel canoe races will return this year. The O‘ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association has announced that after a four-year hiatus, Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai and Moloka‘i Hoe races will be held in the fall. Both races attract the world’s top paddlers for the challenging 41-mile journey from Moloka’i across the Ka’iwi Channel to finish at Waikīkī. The Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai Championship for women will be held on Sept. 29, while the men's Moloka’i Hoe will ..read more

An aerial photo of Mauna ʻAla, the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaiʻi.(Courtesy Department of Land and Natural Resources) The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is attempting to intervene in the state's selection process for curator of the Mauna ʻAla Royal Mausoleum in Nuʻuanu. OHA has urged the Department of Land and Natural Resources to pause the appointment until the agencies can review the selection process in consultation with Hawaiian beneficiaries. The resting place of Hawaiian aliʻi has had 15 curators since 1865. A majority have been descendants of families who served aliʻi for generations, such as t ..read more

Noelani Ahia and Māhealani Ahia(Courtesy Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists) ConFest 2024 celebrates Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in theater. It's been around for nearly a decade and a half. It's being held for the first time in Hawaiʻi and kicks off this weekend at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. May is also Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Among the events is a reading of the play “Fighting Like Mad.” It takes place in post-wildfire Lahaina and was written by two Native Hawaiian sisters: Noelani and Māhealani Ahia. They have lin ..read more

A new exhibit is on display at the East-West Center Gallery.(Cassie Ordonio / HPR) A stream of water trickles into a thriving kalo field as you walk through the exhibit doors of the East-West Center Gallery located next to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The exhibit "Ho‘okahe Wai, Ho‘oulu ‘Āina: Kalo and Community" tells the story of kalo farming at UH. In Hawaiian, it means "let the water flow, let the land flourish." The exhibit shares stories and artistry from current and former students who have been inspired by the kalo field, or loʻi, adjacent to the Hawai‘inuiākea School of Hawaiia ..read more