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.
Plaque out front of EHCC.
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)