May 26 – July 21

Artwork Receiving Day: Tuesday, May 16 / 9 am - 4 pm

Opening Reception: Friday, May 26 / 5 - 7 pm

In-Person Juror Walkthrough: Friday, May 26 / 4-5 pm

Jurors: Gar Waterman, Visual Artist & 2023 Artist in Residence, and Jessica Colla, Director of Education, Maui Ocean Center

“I will argue that every scrap of biological diversity is priceless, to be learned and cherished, and never to be surrendered without a struggle.”― E.O. Wilson

Beneath the Surface: Marine Life of Hawai‘i is a community art exhibition celebrating marine biodiversity. Hui No‘eau is thrilled to collaborate with Gar Waterman, the Hui’s 2023 Artist in Residence, to engage the community in the discovery, celebration, and conservation of Hawai‘i’s marine ecosystems. Artwork must feature an existing ocean species found in or near Hawaiian waters. This exhibition will include Gar Waterman’s completed nudibranch sculpture, dynamic artwork created by Maui’s school children, and works of marine-themed art created by local artists.

For more information on the Hui's 2023 Artist in Residence CLICK HERE!

This exhibition is sponsored by The Mermaids: Sandi Stoner, Leslie Resnick  & Christy Vail. Mahalo!

Hui No'eau's 2023 Artist in Residence Program was supported by the Laila Twigg-Smith Art Fund of the Hawai'i Community Foundation

TALK STORY TUESDAYS 

Take a deeper dive Beneath the Surface as the Hui hosts leaders from the field of marine conservation to "talk story" about marine conservation on Maui and the species featured in the "Beneath the Surface: Marine Life of Hawai‘i" exhibition! These talks are free and open to the public, no preregistration is required.

June 6th at 5pm: Emily Fielding, Hawaiʻi Marine Conservation Director for The Nature Conservancy

June 13th at 5pm: Edward Lyman, Natural Resource Specialist Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and Regional Large Whale Entanglement Response Coordinator under NOAA’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. 

IMPORTANT DATES:

Online Registration: May 9 – 16 / via huinoeau.com

Artwork Receiving Day: Tuesday, May 16 / 9am – 4pm

Selection Notification: Wednesday, May 17 by 6pm via huinoeau.com

Pick up of non-selected work: Thursday, May 18 / 9am – 4pm

Opening Reception: Friday, May 26 / 5 – 7pm

Pick up of non-sold, selected work: Saturday, July 22 / 9am – 4pm

ABOUT THE JURORS

Gar Waterman, Visual Artist & 2023 Artist in Residence

Gar Waterman was born in Maine and grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with a formative year in Tahiti at the age of 9 to 10, where his father, pioneer underwater filmmaker Stan Waterman, documented the adventure in a National Geographic Special. This watershed year of almost daily contact with the marine life of the barrier reefs of the South Pacific established a visual foundation of marine imagery that endures as a primary source of inspiration for his sculpture. After college at Dartmouth, Waterman lived for seven years in Pietrasanta, Italy where he learned to carve stone, eventually returning to establish West Rock Studio in New Haven, CT, where his work explores form in nature with a combination of observation of natural phenomena, sensual devotion to the tactile possibilities of material, and a model maker’s tinkering sensibility. Firsthand experience over a lifetime of diving infuses his sculpture with marine forms, from fish, nudibranchs, and squid to the spiral perfection of shells.

Jessica Colla, Director of Education at Maui Ocean Center

Maui Ocean Center’s Director of Education, Jessica Colla, has always had an affinity for the ocean despite originating from a land-locked state in the Midwest. Before landing on Maui, she worked as a research technician in Belize, a divemaster in Fiji, and a marine naturalist in Australia. Colla focused her efforts on public education after completing her master’s thesis on the Great Barrier Reef. She now leads a team of professional marine naturalists at Maui Ocean Center who help inspire wonder and respect for Hawai’i’s marine life. Colla also shares her knowledge of the ocean via her personal YouTube channel Kaimana Conservation.