Donkey Mill Art Center’s New Exhibit to Honor Kamehameha I

Courtesy of Donkey Mill Art Center

An exhibit recognizing Kamehameha I is coming to the Donkey Mill Art Center in Holualoa.

“The Niuhi-Shark: Honoring Kamehameha The Great in Paint & Prose” will be on display starting Jan. 24 to March 20, 2020. The work will feature original paintings created by Carl F. K. Pao paired with selections from the book “Kamehameha–The Rise of a King” by Kāwika Eyre with illustrations by Brook Parker.

The exhibit was created in 2019 in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of King Kamehameha’s passing in West Hawai‘i and provides viewers a visual experience of pivotal events in King Kamehameha’s life and the fascinating perspective from two very different styles of art.

“The Donkey Mill is excited to bring this important exhibit to the West Hawai’i community as Kamehameha is such a significant part of our Kona mo’olelo,” shared Communications Director & Curator, Mina Elison. “We have also created meaningful programming and talk story to really get folks thinking about Kamehameha’s legacy, how it continues to affect us today and what can we learn from his leadership and values to move us forward tomorrow.”

Hawai‘i Island is not only the place of Kamehameha’s birth, it is also the beautiful and dramatic setting of much of his life’s story, the source of his power, the home of his final days, and the hidden place of his bundled bones. The king died in 1819.

It is fitting that several civic and social groups including ‘Ahu‘ena Inc., Royal Order of Kamehameha I, Māmalahoa, Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo, Kamehameha Publishing, Volcano Art Center, Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i, East Hawai‘i Cultural Center/HMOCA, Kohala Hawaiian Civic Club, Malu ‘Āina-Center for Non-violent Education and Action, Pu‘u Koholā National Park and the Donkey Mill Art Center have joined efforts to mark the significance of Kamehameha’s legacy, which continues to reverberate today.

The opening reception and blessing will take place on Jan. 24 from 6-8 p.m. There will be a community panel discussion on Feb. 8 from 5-7 p.m. moderated by Ke’ala Kwan.

There will be an Artist Talk with Kāwika Eyre, Carl Pao and Brook Parker on March 6 and a Monotype Print Workshop with Carl Pao on March 7.