Wherever you are at UH Mānoa, there’s a hidden oasis just around the corner.  On the trek from the parking structure to Campus Center, there’s a tranquil fishpond in the middle of Krauss Hall.  At the top of the Queen Lili‘uokalani Center for Students, there’s a rooftop lanai with an expansive view of the city skyline.  And, in the imposing castle-like structure of the Art Building, there's a sparkling jewel known as the UH Art Gallery.

Starting this week through December 11, come marvel at the gallery’s latest facets, as 24 artists and art historians—all educated at the Department of Art and Art History—showcase their works in the Degrees of Distinction Alumni Invitational Exhibition.  Perhaps you or a parent went to school with one of these talented alumni artists:  Maile Andrade, Reiko Brandon, Sean Browne, Momi Cazimero, Willa Cox, Allen Hori, Grant Kagimoto, Harold Koda, John Koga, James Kuroda, Jason Minami, Wayne Miyamoto, Wayne Morioka, David Naito, Aaron Padilla, Mary Philpotts McGrath, Abigail Romanchak, Gordon Sasaki, Laura Smith, Noe Tanigawa, Inger Tully, Junko Wong, Shige Yamada, and Carol Yotsuda.

There are tours every Sunday beginning November 1 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.  Plus, tonight (Wednesday, October 28), at 7:00 p.m., two alumni artists from the mainland will give a special lecture at the Art Auditorium. Jason Minami is the studio manager and glassblowing instructor at Glassroots Inc., in Newark, N.J., and Gordon Sasaki, who has used a manual wheelchair since 1982 following an automobile accident, is a teaching artist and educator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.  Also in the Art Auditorium on Tuesday, November 17, at 6:00 p.m., Junko Wong of Japan will present a lecture.  She is a driving force in the designer toy culture—the creative director of the fashionable and highly coveted Blythe doll collectible.

They serve as proof that an art or art history degree from UH Mānoa can lead to a brush with success.  See the Art Gallery's home page at http://www.hawaii.edu/artgallery/.

Junko Wong’s Blythe doll collectibles.

Grant Kagimoto’s Cane Haul Road T-shirt designs.

Graphic designer Momi Cazimero and Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw.

Diane Chang, B.A. 1979, is director of communications for the UH Mānoa campus.  See http://manoa.hawaii.edu/.

Tags: Museum of Modern Art, UH Art Gallery; alumni exhibition

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