On Friday, May 6th, the opening reception was held for a new exhibition about Hōkūleʻa’s Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage.
“This exhibition is called Hōkūleʻa Mālama Honua. It’s part of a month-long celebration that the Honolulu Museum of Art is putting on. The focus for the month of May is to celebrate what Hōkūleʻa is doing around the world, and then also to bring attention back to it as it starts to make its way back to Oceania,” says Jesi Lujan Bennett, curator for the exhibition.
“A lot of exhibitions talk about Hōkūleʻa as the catalyst for the Hawaiian rennaisance, which is important, but in this space we’re looking at the contemporary voyage that’s happening. So looking at the Worldwide Voyage and its message of Mālama Honua, so how do we take care of the Earth and our environment, and with this exhibition, its a small space but Iʻm hoping that my co-curator, Annemarie Aweau Paikai, and I have put on a dynamic show where people can touch things, see things, and connect to Hōkūleʻa and the Worldwide Voyage in ways that maybe they canʻt do at home,” explains Bennett. “We have a selfie station, we have videos playing and photography and all of it is to hopefully inspire people by the voyage and also have them think more critically about how they’re living sustainably in their own space.”
“The exhibition is gonna be held through the month of May here at the Honolulu Museum of Art School, May 6th to May 29th, up here second floor in the mezzanine. It’s free and all ages are welcome,” encourages Bennett.