Wailuku Wings (June 2022)
Artist Bobby Zokaites
SMALL TOWN * BIG ART welcomes new partner Imua Discovery Garden to host a large-scale set of WINGS at their public property as a standalone sculpture that inspires potential, inclusion, inspiration and discovery. The final piece will provide an interactive experience where young children can stand in front of the work and feel a sense of awe, empowerment and play as the moment is captured for an ongoing photo project.
Inspired by ʻōlelo noʻeau #1236: I mohala no ka Lehua i ke ke`eke`ehi `ia e ka ua. (Lehua blossoms unfold because the rains tread upon them. It is the rain that brings forth the lehua blossoms. So do gentle words bring forth much that is desired).
Artist's Statement: This sculpture is strongly grounded in research into the ʻĪao Valley and Wailuku town. While touring the island I observed the prevalence of water as a valuable resource, from the aqueduct in front of the Imua Discovery Garden to the drainage of ʻĪao running through the center of town. Coming from the Arizona desert, I was struck by how similar Wailuku’s water concerns are to our own water issues. This observation combined with research into native butterfly species and butterfly wing mechanics inspired the design of the sculpture and the imagery seen in the wings.
The composition of the sculpture is based on the moment right before a butterfly takes off, the posture of preparation, expectation, and flight. To represent the concept of water as a mechanism for life and rebirth, concepts similarly represented by the butterfly, we chose aerial photographs of the ʻĪao Valley. The region’s landscape, canyons, and ridge lines tell the story of water on a geological scale. We distorted this geographic imagery with a color gradation referencing the Koa butterfly. Superimposed on the aerial layer is the dark pattern of the Kamehameha butterfly, which contains a graphic locally developed weaving structure.
Artist Bobby Zokaites
SMALL TOWN * BIG ART welcomes new partner Imua Discovery Garden to host a large-scale set of WINGS at their public property as a standalone sculpture that inspires potential, inclusion, inspiration and discovery. The final piece will provide an interactive experience where young children can stand in front of the work and feel a sense of awe, empowerment and play as the moment is captured for an ongoing photo project.
Inspired by ʻōlelo noʻeau #1236: I mohala no ka Lehua i ke ke`eke`ehi `ia e ka ua. (Lehua blossoms unfold because the rains tread upon them. It is the rain that brings forth the lehua blossoms. So do gentle words bring forth much that is desired).
Artist's Statement: This sculpture is strongly grounded in research into the ʻĪao Valley and Wailuku town. While touring the island I observed the prevalence of water as a valuable resource, from the aqueduct in front of the Imua Discovery Garden to the drainage of ʻĪao running through the center of town. Coming from the Arizona desert, I was struck by how similar Wailuku’s water concerns are to our own water issues. This observation combined with research into native butterfly species and butterfly wing mechanics inspired the design of the sculpture and the imagery seen in the wings.
The composition of the sculpture is based on the moment right before a butterfly takes off, the posture of preparation, expectation, and flight. To represent the concept of water as a mechanism for life and rebirth, concepts similarly represented by the butterfly, we chose aerial photographs of the ʻĪao Valley. The region’s landscape, canyons, and ridge lines tell the story of water on a geological scale. We distorted this geographic imagery with a color gradation referencing the Koa butterfly. Superimposed on the aerial layer is the dark pattern of the Kamehameha butterfly, which contains a graphic locally developed weaving structure.
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Click to view our 6-min documentary
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ST*BA artist and Kumu Hula Leilehua Yuen shared this piece with us in response to a call for native butterfly expertise, and ST*BA artist Michael Takemoto shared this pulelehua music video created by his wife Rae's class at Pōmaikaʻi Elementary School. If you have a story, idea or expert in mind, please email us!
Artist Sample Work:
Click for 2:27 film
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Bobby Zokaites and landscape architects from Dig Studio transformed this City of Phoenix water well site into a new community greenspace. Developed through a partnership between the City’s Water Services Department and Office of Arts and Culture Public Art Program, the project turned a large vacant lot surrounded by chainlink fence into a community space with walking paths, sculpture, fencing, lighting, and landscaping. The design team drew inspiration for the enhancements from the history of the area, meetings with neighbors, and school workshops with more than 100 students at nearby Trevor G. Browne High School.
"A Time Machine Called Tinaja" (2020) Location: 7304 W. Crittenden Ln., Phoenix, Arizona 85033 Landscape Architect: Dig Studio | Commissioned by: City of Phoenix |Video by: Lamp Left Media |
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About: Bobby Zokaites is a U.S. based sculptor skilled in a variety of materials with a wealth of experience producing large scale works for private and public spaces. His industrious work ethic and urban design sense enable him to create distinctive works of art that foster new and dynamic relationships between community, site, history and the natural environment. Blurring the line between fine art, public sculpture and collaborative practices, his work engages diverse audiences, humanizes public spaces, and often encourages participation with larger-than-life-sized artwork. Zokaites earned his BFA at New York College of Ceramics at Alfred University (2008) and his MFA in Sculpture at Arizona State University (2014). He recently completed two permanent municipal infrastructure projects in Arizona. It is integral to Zokaites' practice that his work connects residents to one another and their community in new ways, creating new and lasting experiences.
Listen to our ST*BA Podcast with Bobby:
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COMMUNITY CONSULTATIONS:
Bishop Museum's Jeremy Frank, Ph.D. (3/29/22)
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Mike Nahoʻopiʻi (2/21/22)
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‘Ōlelo No‘eau mtg (2/2/22)
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Bobby + Kara (1/26/22)
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Dean Wong, Imua Discovery Garden (12/22/21)
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PROJECT TRACKING:
- 12/20/21: ST*BA Community Panel meeting #1
- 1/18/22: ST*BA Community Panel meeting #2
- 1/26/22: Artist Orientation meeting: Kelly McHugh-White, Bobby Zokaites, Kara Roschi
- 2/2/22: ‘Ōlelo No‘eau meeting with Sissy Lake-Farm, Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society
- 2/9/22: Site Visit + tour of the Bailey House Museum with Kimo Guequierre + Wailuku public art tour with Kelly McHugh-White
- 2/10/22: Site Visit + Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens with Sissy Lake-Farm + Waihe'e Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge with Hawaiʻi Land Trust Chief Conservation Officer Scott Fisher, Ph.D
- 2/11/22: Site Visit + Waihe'e Ridge Trail with Kim Thayer of Mauna Kahālāwai
- 2/14/22: "SMALL TOWN * BIG ART Partners with Imua Discovery Garden for New Destination Art Piece" (READ)
- 2/14/22: "Arizona artist tours Wailuku for inspiration to create sculpture for Imua Discovery Garden" (Maui Now)
- Feb > May: Community Consultations continue virtually, as the artist designs the sculpture from his Arizona studio
- 2/22/22: Community Consultation with master lauhala weaver and Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission Executive Director Mike Nahoʻopiʻi (WATCH)
- 3/29/22: Community Consultation with Bishop Museum Entomology Collections Manager Jeremy Frank, Ph.D. (WATCH)
- 4/7/22: Design review
- 4/22/22: eNewsletter (LINK)
- 5/23/22: eNewsletter (LINK)
- 6/10/22: eNewsletter (LINK)
- 6/13/22: Press Release "Bobby Zokaites To Complete "Wailuku Wings" with Public Blessing and Unveiling" (LINK)
- 6/14/22: "Latest public art piece in Wailuku to be unveiled" (Maui News)
- 6/19/22 (Father's Day): Mahalo reception at Imua Discovery Garden
- 6/20/22: (10 AM): Sculpture blessing by Uncle Bill Garcia at Imua Discovery Garden (open to the public)
- 6/20/22: (4 PM): First Annual Butterfly Festival and community unveiling of Wailuku Wings sculpture
- 6/27/22: Wailuku Wings (Maui News)
- 7/6/22: SMALL TOWN * BIG ART New Film, Blessing, Stories and Survey Results
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>> MAHALO to the following for participating in and continually supporting these efforts: County of Maui; National Endowment for the Arts; Dean Wong + Brian Nagami, Imua Family Services; Sissy Lake-Farm + Kimo Guequierre, Maui Historical Society; Kapua Pimentel; Tarek Farid; Reece Bonilla; Keanu LauHee; Hallie Hunt, Adaptations Dance Theater; Lopaka White, Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission; Scott Fisher, Hawaiʻi Land Trust; Kim Thayer; Mauna Kahālāwai. PHOTOS: Sean Hower
Photos below: Bishop Museum Entomology Collections Manager Jeremy Frank, Ph.D. |
