Hi again! Thanks for reading, lets continue~

I knew it would be difficult, but I believed I was capable to make a change. One of my favorite quotes is “if there’s a will, there’s a way” and so far that has always been the case.

Building shelving with recycled pallet and scrap wood

Historically, the last person using the chief’s garage was woodworker Jerry who had passed. He used the space for his woodshop storage then downsized and later moved his shop into the annex. Stephen Freedman and the team secured a gas kiln (donated by Norman Kawabata and the help of Mike Shewmaker and Keaau Service Station Inc., 2021) and dropped it into place from the roof. Definately won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. The studio was put together and Mann also provided an electric cress kiln for use. Studio has 2 electric and 4 treadles wheels, and 1 kickwheel.

The space was boarded up here and there, especially to block out Hilo rain - lots of rain here. The material room had one school locker for glaze material but no shelves to store bulk items. I realized the overall studio layout had to be rearranged since I’m primarily a hand builder looking to teach to all ages.

Here’s the list: comfortable chairs (handbuilders know), create recycle clay station outside, shelving, check and change out water hose, brighten studio with paint, rusting roof beams, wedging table, functional glaze area/cart for glazing.

Lonny helping with the first box shelves and teaching me how to use nail gun - never. looked. back. A bunch of the money for renovations had to be saved for paint, chemicals, clay materials, so I scavenged a bunch of the wood through company pallets (Mahalo Hilo Autozone).

I met Lonny Tomono, a skillful woodworker and hilarious friend, he encouraged and supported my endeavors to tackle the roof. I’m grateful Lonny lent me tools to get started and some advice. My teacher said it was crazy, but I knew no one would do it. We’re talking scraping the rust build up, cover with rust sealer, and paint with white primer. The action would benefit the studio’s longevity and overall community health. It had to be done. Biiig high fives and wide grins when finished.

Scraping rust off the beams, painting rust sealer, primer, and paint to keep it peachy. Multi-tasking with walls! Don’t worry - I masked up.

With the down months from my apprenticeship, I was able to dedicate a tremendous amount of time fixing the studio, and it became a construction zone. I could not work on my own clay pieces for the apprenticeship at the center, but thankfully, my teacher let me work in his studio for the time being.

Reorganized material room: Pallet shelving for materials, stains, etc, table, and moved box clay storage area. Brought in a utility sink but did not have a chance to hook it up :O

Sometimes I can’t believe what I accomplished, but it could not be done without the support of my peers, Jerry’s woodshop, and this studio’s possible ceramic future. Repurposing the pallets with a hammer and crowbar gave me a lot of time to contemplate goals and solutions for the studio.

During one of my late, meditative, beam-painting nights, I met Yoga. Yoga is another wonderful, community member/musician and worked on the beautiful native hawaiian plant restoration project in EHCC. We both dedicated significant time to the center and we’d often see each other working on the premise. He encouraged and helped me out during some tough moments. I’m always reminded again by the strength of the community members and their desire for a better Hilo. I respect the dedication individuals put forth in their actions, but also Yoga is a beast!

Aside from attending the garden and landscape, Yoga also created and poured concrete table & seating for EHCC. This is during assembly time.

Working around the community, I noticed folks would joke about “sleepy Hilo” at times. The thing about Hilo is its charm to remain unchanged, comfortable for generations, and the drawbacks are those that desire improvement for the long run. The younger generation is keen to cultivate this foundation; Yet, respectful to wait for the chance. I could see this in the YAS program where Kellie and Marisa are cultivating EHCC’s youth art program for the Hilo community, and also outreach to surrounding areas on Hawai’i island.

Working in studio. The aluminum keiki flower decorations from YAS program!

I’m proud of the work I put into this space. There’s no expectations when it comes to expanding my ceramic experience. I’ll do my best to adapt to any situation, trusting the lessons I’ve learned from all my mentors and mentees. EHCC plays a part in my ceramic journey, and kicked start a drive in me for what I envision in my own practice. I knew I had to leave this place better than I found it, because it wasn’t the reason I was here…

つづく

EHCC: I’d like to think of it as Extraordinary Hands Cultivating Care, but actually stands for East Hawaii Cultural Center. A wonderful, growing art center located in Hilo, Hawai’i.

Image from “East Hawai‘i Cultural Center: In the Heart of Hilo” by Noe Tanigawa

It’s been a while since my time in Hilo, Hawai’i and about time I wrote about my experience in studio improvement & community-building. I take it seriously. There’s a lot of tender love and care embedded in the work and I appreciate that I can share this chapter with you here.

Front of the EHCC Ceramic studio with added decorations from the YAS (Youth Art Series) program!

It’s 2023, and I accepted a part time job at East Hawaii Cultural Center’s ceramic studio during the down time of my anagama apprenticeship with Clayton Amemiya (I’ll write on that experience later^_^). It would be my first time as sole caretaker for a studio and creating classes - a serious responsibility.

East Hawaii Cultural Center used to be Hilo’s courthouse with the back annex serving as the county jail - yaaas gworl real! Located in a heart of the downtown, the layout is much the same with jail shower tile and floor plan still in tack. Haunted, perhaps, but I’d like to think the spirits appreciate creative activity and art. Who doesn’t like a good flip of bad to good energy? The ceramic studio itself was the police chief’s parking garage.

Historical photo from Keola Magazine’s online article: “A Bygone Era — Hilo’s Old Courthouse and Police Station” by Marcia Timboy.

Monica Mann and Stephen Freedman toured me through the space. Monica Mann was the former Hilo Community College ceramic professor before the pandemic, and now EHCC’s ceramic studio manager. Stephan Freedman is EHCC’s chair emeritus and a ceramic artist who is one of the main visionaries who steered the direction of EHCC to where it is today. He’s still involved and wants to see the center thrive.

Coming into the studio, it served as a multi-purpose space such as an extra classroom for Young Artist Series programs/workshops, and maker space for theater props. It needed more shelving, a paint job, and a lot of TLC. Did I mention the steel beams above were rusting and flaking? Rust bits would snow down every so often on the furniture (a future health problem and if using porcelain in the wedging table). Tender Love & Care periodt. When I came into the space, a young artist keiki class was running and it became very apparent to me the space was not up to my standards for the public and required renovations to inspire creativity. An introduction to ceramics includes the feel of the studio space itself and Hilo’s community deserved such a space.

Before: inside the EHCC studio, Sept 2023

I was tasked to design and teach ceramic classes, and bothered by the studio’s condition, I asked to use the fall session to start maintenance and beautification process before opening up to the public. Thankfully it was granted.

つづく

(Images are mine unless noted)