Mayor Mufi Hannemann will present awards tomorrow (Friday, August 22) to the winners of the third annual exhibit and contest of The National Arts Programฎ in Honolulu at a 5:00 p.m. reception at Honolulu Hale.

Mayor Hannemann said, "The courtyard of Honolulu Hale has been transformed into a wonderful gallery of vibrant works in many media.  The artistic richness of Honolulu is exemplified through our City employees and their families.  I congratulate the winners and extend a big mahalo to everyone who participated in the annual art exhibit."

Scott Goto's painting, entitled "Aumakua," was named the overall best-in-show in the third annual exhibit and contest of the program.  Goto is from the Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts.  He is the recipient of the $300 grand prize.  The painting depicts the close connection the Hawaiians had with their Aumakua, represented by a young woman lovingly embracing her Aumakua, which has taken the form of a shark.

            Goto's painting was selected from 141 works submitted by 85 City employees and family members.  Other winning entries in the exhibit's various categories include:

Adult Professional

First Place – Shane Hamamoto, painting, "The Chase"

Second Place – Terry Hildebrand, work on paper, "Watching the Flow"

Third Place – Salyss Rodrigues, mixed media, "Driftwood Weave on Jute"

Honorable Mention – Jessica Beck, painting, "Ghosts of Waikiki"

Honorable Mention – Alex Caltenco, photograph, "Auric"

Adult Intermediate

First Place – Kevin T. Hotema, painting, "Untitled #1"

Second Place – Robert H. Bannister, painting, "The Flower Barn"

Third Place – Molly Young, drawing, "Wahine"

Honorable Mention – Arleen L. Oshiro, work on paper, "Floral Stipple"

Honorable Mention – Shelby Carlos, photograph, "SHELBY"

Adult Amateur

First Place – Elena Lao, photograph, "I Love You 'Ate'"

Second Place – Mark Scalzone, sculpture, "Industrial Bloom"

Third Place – Christopher J. Terry, photograph, "Vog Sunset"

Honorable Mention – Sarah Tajima-Ueki, painting, "He mau pua o ka pae `aina"

Honorable Mention – Jodi Haunani Aragon, craft, "Tiger"

Youth, 12-18 Years

First Place – Jenelle Higashida, painting, "Huh?"

Second Place – Emi Omori, photograph, "Faded Iridescence"

Third Place – Christine Koizumi, painting, "The Early Bird"

Honorable Mention – Hope Zane, work on paper, "What Are You Made Of?"

Honorable Mention – Alexis Peterson, work on paper, "Chrysanthemum"

Honorable Mention – Emi Omori, photograph, "Hello!"

Youth, Under 12 Years

First Place – Timothy Leoncio, work on paper, "World Cultures"

Second Place – Jaclyn Bregman, work on paper, "Happy Chameleon"

Third Place – Shane Teramoto, craft, "Fish Inflation"

Honorable Mention – Zoe Chung-Suenaga, work on paper, "Zoenani"

Honorable Mention – Nicholas Siu-Li, work on paper, "The Lair of the Fire Dragons"

Honorable Mention – Kaila Baker, work on paper, "Watercolor"

From May 2 to July 25, the Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts and The National Arts Program Foundation invited City employees and their families to express their artistic talents by submitting works for public display. All entries were judged by professional arts practitioners.

The artwork will be on display through August 28 at City Hall. Exhibit hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.  The exhibit is free and open to the public.  For more information, call 768-6622 or visit www.honolulu.gov/moca.

The program was established in 1983 by The National Arts Program Foundation to identify the artistic talents of our nation.  The program involves employees and family members of municipal and county governments and businesses, and is gradually expanding to include the general public.  It reaches more than 450 cities and communities in 43 states and the District of Columbia, a total of 45 million people, in 83 annual venues.

Contact:

Tory Laitila, Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts, 768-4105