A $25,000 award from the National Endowment for the Arts to the East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center will support a permanent, year-round gallery, Ola Nā Iwi, that showcases Native Hawaiian and Pacific contemporary artists.

Ola Nā Iwi is an exhibition space honoring the work of Indigenous and Native Oceania Artists. It will be a permanent part of the established art gallery at EHCC, which serves local residents and tourists alike. By focusing on contemporary art, it will offer a modern context for past history, and showcase what living Indigenous artists and cultural practitioners are doing in today’s environment.

Contemporary works will explore decolonization, indigenization, and cultural contradictions aboriginal peoples face within modern society. All exhibitions will be in ‘Olelo Hawai‘i with English translations.

In a press release EHCC Executive Director Laurie Rich said, “We are thrilled to receive this grant, the Ola Nā Iwi gallery is a project that EHCC has endeavored to accomplish for years, and with NEA funding we are able to see a dream realized. It is important to our mission and values to have this kind of representation in our community.”

Photo credit: East Hawaii Cultural Center