Pauline Sugino Art Services LLC

Okayama Denim Project

designnabi — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 22:45:22 +0000

For Christmas, I received a nice little unassuming denim bracelet. When I opened the package and read the included note, I was pleasantly surprised to learn the story behind it. It turns out a small family owned denim mill in Okayama, Japan make these denim bracelets and they donate all of the proceeds from the sales to the Japanese Red Cross Society for the March 11, 2011 earthquake/tsunami disaster relief work.

For more info… »

Following Courier’s Footsteps in Beijing

designnabi — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:18:10 +0000

In October I was very lucky to be part of the team to escort art from China for our current show “Masterpieces of Landscape Paintings from the Forbidden City.” I had never been to mainland China before and it was simply an awesome experience to be invited to work inside the Forbidden City, now also known as the Palace Museum. So what goes into couriering artworks for an exhibition? How does one prepare before and during the trip?

Find out what goes into escorting artwork from a foreign place… »

Art from the Forbidden City

designnabi — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:42:20 +0000

A landmark exhibition, Masterpieces of Landscape Painting from the Forbidden City, in conjunction with the Palace Museum in Beijing and the Honolulu Academy of Arts (HAA) had its opening on Wednesday, November 2. The Palace Museum, more popularly known as the Forbidden City, and HAA have been planning this collaborative exhibition for more than a year and showcases Asian-Pacific cooperation. The exhibit, featuring 56 paintings from the Palace Museum and 19 works from HAA’s collection, range in date from the 13th-18th centuries. This Masterpieces exhibition will be on view through January 8, 2012.

For more info… »

WMA Annual Meeting

designnabi — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 00:22:13 +0000

Pupukahi i Holomua (Working Together to Move Forward) – From September 23-26, Honolulu will be hosting the 2011 annual meeting of the Western Museums Association (WMA) at the Hawaii Convention Center. This 4-day event is being co-presented with the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) and co-hosted by the Pacific Islands Museums Association (PIMA) and the Hawaii Museums Association (HMA). The scheduled keynote speakers are Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer, International Scholar, Te Wananga o Aotearoa (Maori University of New Zealand) and Ralph Regenvanu, MP, Minister of Justice and Community Services, Vanuatu. The conference will feature tours/talks as well as workshops along several topic tracks: i.e. audience and identity; business; collection care; indigenous; interpretation and experience; leadership career path; and library.

For more info… »

Benefit for Arts Education

designnabi — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:01:52 +0000

There was great food, many wines to try and a lot of laughter with friends at the 3rd annual August Moon. The event also featured “Drawn Out” which had 20+ artists making art during the event to sell. And this was all to help bring arts education to children in Hawaii.

Blue Star Museums

designnabi — Mon, 23 May 2011 21:01:53 +0000

From Memorial Day, May 30, thru Labor Day, September 5, all active duty military personnel and their families get into museums throughout the U.S. for free. Blue Star Museums is a partnership among Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and more than 1,300 museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa. The program participants include children’s museums, fine art museums, history and science museums, and nature centers as well. The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, including those stamped URW and DB. These include active duty military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard), National Guard and Reserve members and up to 5 immediate family members.

If you are in Hawaii, check out the following museums participating in the Blue Star Museums program. They are Honolulu Academy of Arts, Laupahoehoe Train Museum, Lyman Museum & Mission House and Lyon Arboretum.

For more info »

Finding Sharaku

designnabi — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 21:51:38 +0000

“Dubbed ‘the mystery ukiyo-e artist,’ precious few details are known about Sharaku. The appeal of Sharaku’s prints, however, is no mere by-product of this enigma: the emphatic, abbreviated style which struck a chord among his contemporaries continues to fascinate even today. This exhibition will explore the intriguing elements of his expression and the sources of his creativity, all the while highlighting the distinctive artistic qualities of his work. Showcasing Sharaku prints sourced from across the globe, the exhibition will allow viewers to trace developments across his entire oeuvre. It will also offer opportunities to compare Sharaku’s Kabuki actor prints with portrayals of identical subjects by other artists, thus reaffirming the compelling individuality of his style.” (Tokyo National Museum)

The Sharaku exhibition will be on view from May 1 to June 12 at the Tokyo National Museum.

Chasing the Flaming Pearl

designnabi — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 23:44:21 +0000

“The mystical flaming pearl, rendered as a small red or white sphere ringed by a fiery blaze, is often viewed as a metaphor for wisdom, enlightenment and spiritual essence. Dragons are depicted in seeming pursuit, reaching out to clutch at the elusive object; swirling through mists and shadows, mouth open and eyes bulging in anticipation of achieving the prize afforded by clutching the pearl, often identified as ball lightning, the sun, the moon or rolling thunder.” Sara Oka, Collection Manager of Textiles

Chasing the Flaming Pearl: Discovering the Dragon in Chinese Textiles on view from March 3 to July 17 at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

Cézanne’s Card Players

designnabi — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:48:31 +0000

Made a quick dash to The Met during a recent stop in NYC to catch the Cézanne’s Card Players exhibit. It’s definitely a gem not to be missed, albeit small for the Met’s scale. Cézanne’s Card Players is on display ’til May 8. Click here to listen to an audio clip featuring the Met’s director Thomas P. Campbell.

Arts & Museum Daily

designnabi — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:58:36 +0000

Inaugurating Arts & Museum Daily today. Come subscribe to read about the arts and museum news. Click here for more info.