Perspectives The rich variety of works of art that and tattooing all employed a rich and Public Art in now enhance many of the parks, play- refined decorative style, mostly geo- grounds, and urban open spaces of metric in character. A tradition in and the neighbor islands is functional sculpture also flourished— a phenomenon almost entirely of the small animal and human figures were last decade. They typify a renaissance, carved with great ingenuity and hu- occurring in many cities, of the place- mor, in a variety of attitudes, as sup- ment of sculpture, fountains, or mu- ports for canoe paddles, spears, drum rals in public spaces—a tradition in bases, and food bowls. In these pieces, which many of these monuments, the artists exhibited an inventiveness through the years, acquired great and playfulness not seen in the formal affection and, as the Trevi Fountain of images of the temples. Petroglyphs— Rome, the Little Mermaid of Copen- symbolic linear designs of men, ani- hagen, or Ariel in Piccadilly Circus, mals, and objects (since the ancient became symbols of civic identification. Hawaiians had no written language)— Long established in Europe, the cus- were carved on boulders and rock sur- tom flourished in the in faces. Those near trails and resting the historical and commemorative places were believed to represent sculpture of the nineteenth century. events important to travellers. This In Hawaii, however, which was late in iconography, along with the other westernization, such precedents hardly secular arts, certainly contributed to existed. The works presented in this the artistic heritage of Hawaii, and collection, therefore, derive from to the works of contemporary local many cultural roots, some unique to artists. these islands, and from unique re- The indigenous traditions came dra- gional conditions. They also reflect matically to an end in 1819, within new public and corporate attitudes six months after the death of Kameha- toward the sponsorship of artists and meha I. Along with the breakdown of public art. the system of religious law, Liholiho, Before 1820, the arts of Hawaii Kamehameha II, ordered the destruc- were highly developed within religious tion of the temples and their thou- and utilitarian traditions. A dominant sands of images. As a result, less than visual expression was sculpture, which one hundred and fifty of these dy- was ritualistic in function. Large tem- namic sculptures survive to this day. ple images, carved of wood, represent- The primary motivating force for cre- ed cosmic deities and served as the ative expression had been removed, focus for the ceremonies taking place and the Europeanization of life also out of doors on the platforms of the began to affect the vitality of the beiaus. With heights of up to fifteen secular carving and of all the other feet or more, these were impressive crafts. The introduction of cloth along figures. Legs and arms strongly ar- with the termination of the religious ticulated, with prominent chests and ceremonies diminished the need for elaborate headdresses, they were pow- kapa and featherwork. These crafts erful volumetric compositions, and the gradually lost their function and no play of sunlight on their faceted and longer existed after the 1870s. Petro- deeply carved surfaces would have in- glyphs were supplanted by the Roman creased the visual impact. Secondary alphabet. In effect, the ancient culture images, with less significant roles in had been overwhelmed, and with it, the religious hierarchy, were smaller; the visual arts virtually disappeared. some were portable, as required by rit- The turbulent political, social, and ual. All religious carving was assigned economic changes that rapidly oc- to the kahunas, or artisan priests, and curred as the Hawaiians in the early executed within a strict system of con- days of the monarchy sought to main- vention and symbolism. tain their independence left little time The functional arts of making mats for artistic expression, either private or and kapa cloth, basketry, featherwork, public. With the accession of Ka-

XI LOUIS CHORIS (1795-1828), Russia, Un temple dans les lies Sandwich, "A temple in the Sandwich Islands"; watercolor, H.6-%", W.12"; Honolulu Academy of Arts; Gift of Honolulu Art Society, 1944 (12,160)

Xll mehameha IV, the monarchy at least seemed to be established. Twenty- seven years later, King David Kala- kaua, celebrating his adoption of royal absolutism (after his tour of the king- doms of the world), and affirming the traditions of the Hawaiian heritage, built the Iolani Palace and arranged an elaborate coronation on the ninth anniversary of his accession. The event was commemorated by the commis- sioning of a monument—a statue of Kamehameha I—which was also in- tended to celebrate the centennial of the "discovery" of the Sandwich Islands by Captain Cook. In 1883 this new image, of great symbolic signifi- cance to Hawaii, was unveiled before the Alliiolani Hale—after a hiatus in the arts of sixty years. Through the turn of the century, and annexation in 1900, major public monuments remained scarce in Hono- lulu. As Buddhist and Shinto temples and shrines began to appear with the flow of immigration from the Orient, their religious images added color to the fabric of Honolulu's cultural life and visual character. In 1919, the Phoenix Fountain, a gift of the people of Japan, was placed in Kapiolani Park, and during the 1920s, a plas- ter copy of the Winged Victory of Samothrace dominated the portico of the Hawaii State Library (neither of these sculptures exist today). Com- memorative plaques were placed around the city, dedicated to famous people and historic events. The Castle Fountain, built in 1932 in the midst Stone image, Inari Jinsha Shrine, 2132 South King Street, Honolulu, 1914 of the banyan trees in Thomas Square, added a new dimension to the night- time scene with its flood of varicolored lights playing on the forty-two-foot water jet. Other outdoor works were added in the mid-thirties—Marguerite Blasingame's marble reliefs and flag- stone floor carvings at the McCoy Pavilion in Ala Moana Park, con- structed under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, and her panels for the fountain at the Kawananakoa school ground in Nuuanu. It was also in the 1920s and 1930s that the buildings of Honolulu began to assume a distinctive regional char-

Xlll acter. The distinguished civic, corpor- ate, and institutional architects of this period, sensitive both to the special qualities of Hawaii's climate and to its oriental heritage, began to incorporate outdoor spaces in their buildings— spaces which would become naturally graced by Hawaii's lush variety of trees and plants. The use of courts, collonades, terraces, balconies, and generous protective roofs incorporated the out of doors as an important building element. The play of decora- tive detail in relief, ceramic tile work, wrought iron grilles, and carved doors and screens against light-colored flat surfaces of stucco and plaster enliv- ened streets and open spaces. Build- ings such as the Federal Building, comprising the United States Post Office, Custom House, and Court House (York and Sawyer); Honolulu Hale (Miller, Dickey and Wood); the offices of C. Brewer & Company (Mayers, Murray & Phillip); The Alex- ander & Baldwin Building (C. W. Dickey and Hart Wood); the Young Women's Christian Association Build- ing (Julia Morgan) with its fine interi- or court and pool; and the Honolulu Academy of Arts (Bertram Goodhue) succeeded, by their grace, attention to scale and detail, and relaxed function- alism, in imparting aesthetic individ- uality to the downtown areas of the Courtyard of the Federal Building (U.S. Post Office, Custom House, Courthouse), Honolulu. city. Architect: York & Sawyer, 1922 Though the depression and World War II virtually halted the continued development of the trend, these buildings did establish precedents for the concern for the urban environ- ment which was to follow in later years. Meanwhile, by mid-century the interest in public art began to quicken, resulting in many commis- sions. Outdoors, Honolulu had its first open-air frescoes in 1951, in the interior courts of Bilger Hall, the chemistry building on the Manoa Campus of the University of Hawaii. In these works, Juliette May Fraser, David Asherman, Sueko Kimura, and Richard Lucier, who had worked with Jean Chariot in the fresco technique (which he first used for his Bachman Hall frescoes), depicted the classic

XIV elements of air, water, earth, and fire. In 1958, a second monumental statue was commissioned in Honolulu, this time to a Christian saint. Today, the bronze figure of St. Andrew, by the famous Yugoslav sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, stands in the Cathedral close, across the Capitol grounds and the Palace square from its predecessor, King Kamehameha I. The period of the 1960s saw rapid transformation in the character and scale of Waikiki. The proliferation of high-rise hotels, the apartments and condominiums along the Ala Wai Canal, and the office buildings, shops, and restaurants of Kalakaua Avenue responded in design to the romantic mood of the vacationer. Their signs, decorations, and architectural details, drawing heavily on Polynesian motifs, produced a lively visual impact, now a characteristic of the fabric of Hawaiian life. In the 1960S, unprecedented growth also occurred in downtown Honolulu, producing radical changes in the phys- ical environment. Fortunately, much private and civic building and plan- ning demonstrated renewed sensitivity to the urban environment by the in- clusion of open spaces for public use. The concept, of course, was not new. Public spaces in cities were historically the focus for the varied activities of urban life—they set its tone and gave it vitality. These spaces, whether monumental or intimate in scale, were also recognized as a natural setting for sculpture and fountains. Fountains especially combining both audio and visual qualities, have traditionally satisfied the deep human needs of city dwellers in warm climates. Examples of this new regard for open space are found in a number of developments in Honolulu. The Hawaii State Capi- tol development, created by the clos- ing of Hotel Street, was a fine open continuation of the Iolani Palace grounds, which was then extended across Beretania Street by the Armed Forces Memorial plaza. The River Street Mall, a project of the Honolulu Mclnerny store, Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki Redevelopment Agency, exploited the natural amenities of the Nuuanu

xv Stream to provide a water-oriented, General Services, and is implemented was selected by the City Commission two-block-long linear park for quiet through the Art in State Buildings on Culture and the Arts and represen- recreation, visiting, and promenading, program, responsible for the plan- tatives of the National Endowment for as well as an agreeable setting for new ning, commissioning, acquisition, and the Arts. Also contributing toward commercial development. The Finan- placing of works of art in spaces at several new works in the new federal cial Plaza of the Pacific and the Pacific state buildings, the State Capitol, and building in Honolulu will be the Fine Trade Center Mall—smaller-scaled the Honolulu International Airport. Arts Program of the General Services pedestrian plazas—and the Walker Final selection of artists and their Administration, responsible for build- Park at the foot of Fort Street are works is made by the Board of the ings of the federal government, which privately financed open spaces for State Foundation, acting upon recom- allocates one-half of one percent of public use, as are the pedestrian con- mendations of advisory panels com- construction costs for art, and at pres- courses and courts of the Ala Moana posed of project architects, designers, ent has awarded more than twelve Center. The Fort Street Mall, devel- client representatives of the using million dollars of commissions from oped jointly by the City and County agency, and representatives of the Honolulu to Philadelphia. Programs of Honolulu and the business commu- neighboring community. Since the such as these are now contributing to nity, is a highly successful amenity, first commissions awarded in 1969, the public art movement in many providing shoppers freedom from auto the State Foundation on Culture and cities—Boston, Chicago, Washington, traffic and the opportunity for rest and the Arts has, to date, commissioned D.C., Grand Rapids, Denver, and San change of pace. These examples have approximately two million dollars of Francisco, as well as Honolulu. incorporated landscaping, well- original art. Under the leadership of It is to be hoped that these pro- designed street "furniture," foun- Alfred Preis, F.A.I.A., executive grams and sponsorships will continue tains, and works of art for the enjoy- director, the Arts in State Buildings in the future. In Hawaii, they can ment of the public. In so doing, they program has introduced to the public become a significant aspect of the confirm the notion of outdoor urban a wide spectrum of contemporary art, pressing concerns for urban livability space as an important domain of the by artists of both international and and the quality of environment in the artist and sculptor. regional cultural background, both Islands. There are many opportunities, A significant characteristic of con- through its commissioned works and many areas that may be humanized by tempory sculpture has also had an im- through portable works acquired for the introduction of visual variety and pact on its function in public places. rotation, within the state building enrichment—neighborhood shopping Traditionally, public sculpture— system. Further, the encouragement of centers, the recreational areas of hous- representing historical, religious or local artists, as well as the early ex- ing developments, hospitals, public literary themes, and primarily related posure of young people to the arts, is housing, and housing for the ill and to the human form—was placed upon being successfully accomplished by the aged, to name only a few. a base or pedestal separating it from combined activities of the Artists in Schools program with the Art in State If it has been thought that the the observer. Today, most sculpture world of contemporary art has been speaks for itself in form and materials. Buildings program. These programs have been responsible for many works too inward looking, and artists too Without a base, it shares the viewer's subjective in their perceptions to space, inviting intimate reaction by its of art in the schools of and the neighbor islands, from which children achieve communication, the placing of proximity. Most of the works present- art in public spaces may herald a new ed here possess this quality of accessi- have gained appreciation and enjoy- ment by active participation. rapport, to the benefit of citizen and bility to a marked degree, and many artist alike. Sculptures, fountains, and have been created specifically for The sponsorship of public outdoor murals will be enjoyed in a self- physical participation. art in Honolulu has recently occurred related way, literally, without the Concurrently with the responsive at both city and federal levels, in the need for esoteric explanation. By developments in the physical planning commissioning of a work to be placed sharpening the senses, they will pro- of downtown Honolulu, legislation in the vicinity of the new municipal vide an antidote for the accommoda- was passed of great significance for the building housing city offices. The tion to ugliness. And it seems appro- cultural environment of Hawaii. In sculpture is to be jointly funded by priate that in Hawaii, because of its 1967, the state legislature enacted Act the "Works of Art in Public Places" natural beauty and tempo of life, this 298, which requires that one percent program of the National Endowment renaissance should be so outstandingly of all appropriations for the construc- for the Arts and the city of Honolulu, successful. tion of state buildings be used for art under a program which in 1974 dis- acquisition. The act is administered pensed some seven hundred thousand W.H.R. by the State Foundation on Culture dollars in matching grants. The artist, May 1976 and the Arts, in collaboration with Isamu Noguchi, an internationally the Department of Accounting and known Japanese-American sculptor, xvi