Roen Halley Kahalewai McDonald Hufford (born 1950) is a Native Hawaiian Kapa artist who was named as one of nine National Heritage Fellows by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in 2023.[1][2][3][4][5] Her work has been displayed in the Bishop Museum and the Hawaii State Art Museum (now Capitol Modern).[6][7][8]
Roen Hufford | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1950  Molokai |
| Alma mater | |
| Style | kapa |
| Awards |
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| Website | https://www.roenhufford.com |
Personal life
editHufford was born in Molokaʻi, 1950.[1][4] Her mother is Marie Leilehua McDonald, a notable lei maker who was also named a National Heritage Fellow in 1990.[1][6][9][10][5][2] Hufford has said she originally started learning how to create Kapa with her mother.[6][9][4] Hufford's grandmother is Etelka Mahoe Adams.[11][12] Hufford also grows her own Wauke (Broussonetia papyrifera) to make kapa in addition to other crops on Honopua Farm, the farm her mother and father started in Waimea.[6][12][10][13] She married Ken Hufford.[10][13]
Career
editFrom 1968 to 1970, Hufford attended the Pratt Institute.[4] Hufford went on to attend the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art concentrating in Ceramics.[2][9][4]
On June 10, 2012, a piece of kapa Hufford had made out of wauke and dye from the Jaboticaba was auctioned at a Summer solstice auction to benefit Mala'ai, the culinary garden of Waimea Middle School.[11]
In 2014, Hufford's work was exhibited in the Schaefer International Gallery by the Maui Arts & Cultural Center for the Mōhala Hou Ke Kapa: Kapa Blossoms Anew exhibit.[14] Additionally, she was featured in the documentary film Ka hana kapa (2014).[15]
In 2016, Hufford - alongside her mother, Dalani Tanahy, Bernice Akamine, and others - was featured by the Kahilu Theater's in its exhibit Kapa Kahilu.[16]
In 2018, Hufford led a demonstration on kapa making at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel for the homecoming of several kapa pieces created by Malia Solomon and restored by the Bishop museum.[17] Her work was also featured at the East Hawaii Cultural Center for the “Loli‘ana: A Native Hawaiian Exhibition” in honor of the Merrie Monarch Festival that year.[18]
In 2020, she won second place in the juried exhibition Call + Response.[16] In 2021, Hufford's kapa pieces were on display in the American Savings Bank Lo‘i Gallery.[19]
In February 2023, she was named as one of nine National Heritage Fellowships by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in 2023 alongside R.L. Boyce, Elizabeth James-Perry, Luis Tapia, Wu Man, and others.[1][3][6][5] As a National Heritage Fellow, Hufford was awarded $25,000.[3] Also starting in February 2023 and going throughout the year, her work was displayed by the Hawaii State Art Museum (now Capitol Modern) in the exhibit Accession: recent additions to the Art in Public Places Collection.[7][9] From March 31, 2023, through May 5, 2023, Hufford's work, alongside Solomon Robert Nui Enos and others, was on display at the Windward Community College in the exhibit ‘Ai Pōhaku, Stone Eaters.[20][21] From March 11, 2023, to October 15, 2023, her work is on display in the exhibit Ola Ka Noʻeau: Excellence in Hawaiian Artistry at the Bishop Museum.[8][5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Roen Kahalewai Hufford (Hawaiian)". Arts.gov. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c Lingley, Kate (September 21, 2023). "BFA Alumna Roen Hufford Named NEA 2023 National Heritage Fellow". Department of Art and Art History: University of Hawaii at Manoa. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c Society, American Folklore (February 28, 2023). "National Endowment for the Arts Announces 2023 NEA National Heritage Fellows". The American Folklore Society. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Imago Mundi Collection". imagomundicollection.org. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Hawaiian Artistry Takes Center Stage in Compelling New Exhibit". Honolulu Magazine. April 6, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Kapa maker grows her own wauke and the next generation of traditional Hawaiian artists". Hawai'i Public Radio. March 14, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b "Kapa maker Roen Hufford announced as 2023 NEA National Heritage Fellow". State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b "Ola Ka Noʻeau: Excellence in Hawaiian Artistry - Bishop Museum". February 13, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c d U. H. News (March 10, 2023). "Reclaiming the art of kapa earns UH Mānoa alumna national art fellowship | University of Hawaiʻi System News". Hawaii.edu. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network - Honopua Farm". hawaiihomegrown.net. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b "Rare kapa honors artist's Hawaiian grandmother | North Hawaii News". North Hawaii News | Serving all of North Hawaii. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b Bornhorst, Heidi (August 18, 2019). "Hawaii Gardens: Talented artist, gardener was lifelong supporter of horticulture". Staradvertiser.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b "MAMO MAKAMAE LIVING TREASURES" (PDF). Ka Wai Ola. June 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Mōhala Hou Ke Kapa: Kapa Blossoms Anew." (PDF). Maui Arts & Cultural Center. 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ "Ka hana kapa". uhawaii-honolu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com. Hawaii : Biographical Research Center. 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ a b "Kahilu Theatre Foundation - Kahilu Theatre Foundation". kahilutheatre.org. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Treasured Kapa Return to Mauna Kea Beach Hotel | Big Island Now". | Treasured Kapa Return to Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Evolution of Native Hawaiian art: 'Loli'ana' exhibition opens Saturday at EHCC". Hawaiitribune-herald.com. April 6, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Meet Our Newest Lo'i Gallery Artists | American Savings Bank Hawaii". Asbhawaii.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Windward: Gallery 'Iolani presents new exhibit 'Ai Pōhaku, Stone Eaters | University of Hawaii News". manoa.hawaii.edu. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "ʻAi Pōhaku, Stone Eaters". Pu'uhonua Society. Retrieved September 26, 2023.