By Nate Gong, Kaʻiulani Lum-Ho, and Auliʻi Nahulu
ON THE ARTS TASK FORCE PAGE
About the Art:
Inspired by two exhibits we engaged with during our kilo at FestPAC (Ka ʻUla Wena and the Māori visual arts display) we have curated a series of photos we each captured and applied our own artistic commentary to them. The decision to alter the artwork and two-dimensionalize the artists and audience served a dual purpose: first, to protect the intellectual property rights of the original artists; and second, to pay homage to and engage in dialogue with the Māori exhibit (skip to 0:45), which faced permit denials when attempting to bring whale bone pieces through international customs and border control.
In manipulating the images, we projected a future where haumāna are not encouraged to decode the multiple layers of meaning in Indigenous art, inviting the viewer into that same limited perspective. What is illegible? What becomes meaningless or two-dimensional? We ask our viewers to contemplate the critical lens they have and consider what becomes possible when more is seen and understood. As educators, it also asks what literacy we need to teach our haumāna to critically read their world. In this sense, we see total alignment with the critical “reading” and “writing” and ʻŌiwi Edge, perhaps even a necessity, of what arts-based pedagogies enable: not just a holistic reading of the world, but the conditions, skill, and wisdom to responsibly generate “new” culture.
ARTIST STATEMENTS
Nate Gong - Episteme
Important to our understanding of an Indigenous arts-based pedagogy is the need to practice critical literacy. Firstly, critical literacy provides the perspectives required to decode and reveal the ways in which ‘Ōiwi and Indigenous peoples are disempowered and how those systems that maintain that inequality and oppression ensnare all of humanity, our nonhuman relatives, and our ability to live sustainably with our landscapes. Furthermore, critical literacy provides opportunities to retrieve ʻike kupuna to encode thriving Indigenous futures that are liberatory and intertwined with the sustainability of all entities. Yet, critical literacy is a perspective that is innate to us—it needs to be trained, and Indigenous arts is an important pathway for our haumāna to hone these skills.
Our literature dive and time at FestPAC reinforced how this literacy goes beyond “reading” in the literal sense, and involves a holistic approach encompassing multiple mediums, senses, and contexts. It speaks to learning that is experiential, generative, and generational—concepts that are foundational to haumāna centered learning. As a task force, we are interested in better understanding the ways that arts-based learning compliments our ‘Ōiwi Edge pedagogy and also adds unique value to it, and are looking to continue to test and prototype learning experiences that demonstrate the value and learning pathways for ‘Ōiwi Edge artisans.
Kaʻiulani Lum-Ho - ʻImi ʻIke
In Spring 2023, I began investigating an inquiry I had on how to better assess haumāna on their performances. I opened up my “assessment” to include haumāna and audience feedback, but lacked a quantitative assessment tool that could be tracked and measured. Since then, I have continued using surveys to gather qualitative data from haumāna performers and audience members, but a key aspect of the work was still missing: that art is meant to be felt by both the viewer and the creator. This was always an understood concept for me as an artist and consumer of art, but it wasn’t until my work with the Kula Waena ʻŌiwi Edge Arts (ʻŌEA) research partnership with Hālau Kupukupu, specifically during our huakaʻi to FestPAC in Honolulu, that I realized much of what I was learning through this kilo experience was embodied.
The combination of my research inquiry from 2023 and my involvement in the ʻŌEA research partnership has led me to co-design a series of somatic data gathering tools with Auliʻi Nahulu and Holly Lee that would allow us to gather both qualitative and quantitative data on how our haumāna interact with lessons through mind, body, and spirit. We have introduced a series of three “sensory assessments” to our current sixth grade haumāna for use in their core curriculum and kauhale projects. This effort aims to better understand how haumāna experience learning in an embodied way and to hopefully grow their capacity to interpret and articulate their somatic learning. My personal goal for the sensory assessments is to gather measurable feedback data from audiences, including haumāna audiences observing peer work, as they view and interact with various art pieces; be they performance, visual, auditory, etc. My hope is that through practice in using the tools and understanding their individual somatic experiences, haumāna will be able to articulate their understanding of a successful performance or an effective piece of art.
I invite you to use one or more of these sensory assessment tools as you view or engage with our collective art piece [insert art piece title]
Auliʻi Nahulu – Moʻolelo
In my art teaching practice, I weave together the threads of Western art education with the vibrant, ancestral threads of Native Hawaiian artistry through a Discipline-Based Art Education (DBAE) approach. This blend of formal Western methodologies and traditional Hawaiian techniques creates a rich, multifaceted learning experience.
By guiding students through the principles of Western art while reconnecting them with their native roots, I strive to foster a deep, cultural dialogue. My approach encourages students to explore and appreciate the elegance of traditional Hawaiian craftsmanship and aesthetics, while also embracing contemporary educational practices.
Through this integration, I aim to not only respect and revitalize our cultural heritage but also to inspire a new generation of artists who carry forward a uniquely informed and culturally grounded perspective. The goal is to create a learning environment where ancestral art forms are celebrated and preserved, ensuring that each student develops a profound and personal connection to their artistic legacy.