Elise Goodrich wears a hat that she made at Second Saturday. Photo: Susan Hogan.
Second Saturday at the Hawaii State Art Museum (HiSAM) on Oahu is a first-rate opportunity for you to get in touch with your muse. Launched in February 2006, it is part of the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts’ Art in Public Places Program (APP), which was established in 1967 with the enactment of the Art in State Buildings Law. That law earmarks one percent of the construction costs of new state buildings for the acquisition of works of art, either by commission or purchase.
Learning to work with clay. Photo: Susan Hogan.
Attendees run the gamut, from toddlers and teens to millennials and retirees. They stop by HiSAM any time between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to participate in a free visual arts activity guided by professional local artists or members of arts organizations.
Fashioning a whale out of clay. Photo: Susan Hogan.
Past events have featured weaving, ceramics, collage, painting, quilting, multimedia sculpture, paper book covers and more. Second Saturday groups have also made shadow puppets and performed with them. They’ve fashioned small sculptures by hand or on a potter’s wheel and placed them beside a model of HiSAM, so their tiny creations looked like enormous statues.
Learning to weave. Photo: Susan Hogan.
They’ve learned about stop-motion animation, which is filmed one frame at time. Objects are moved between filming, so when the sequence is played back rapidly, it creates the illusion of motion. Another popular offering focused on the world of the ancient Mongolian warrior. Yurts were set up, and guests were able to design a family crest, try their hand at archery, watch a craftsman make chain mail and pick up a padded wooden sword and engage in a mock battle. Occasionally, music, drama and dance specialists lead sessions that complement the hands-on component.
Learning how to make kapa (tapa). Photo: Susan Hogan.
In short, Second Saturday is a fun, relaxing and creative pastime for the whole family. Many people make a day of it by bringing a picnic to enjoy on HiSAM’s lawn and reserving time to visit the museum’s galleries, which are open free of charge from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Second Saturday is a fun event for people of all ages. Photo: Susan Hogan.
HiSAM is at No. 1 Capitol District Building, 250 South Hotel Street, in downtown Honolulu. For more information, call (808) 586-9958 or go to http://sfca.hawaii.gov/hisam-events.
Julia Goodrich displays her crazy quilt. Photo: Susan Hogan.
To explore more cool things to do in Hawaii and to book your activities, please visit www.hawaii.com/things-to-do.
