n Honor of Grandmother
The Textile Gallery (22) ||| October 22, 2009-April 4, 2010

The Honolulu Academy of Arts often receives gifts from people who donate cherished items in honor of their grandmothers. The loving act spurred Sara Oka, Textiles Collections Manager, to curate the upcoming exhibition In Honor of Grandmother.

“The inspiration behind the exhibition came from a Hawaiian quilt that was donated to the Academy in 2007, by Thane Pratt,” says Oka. “This quilt belonged to his mother, Brenda Cooke Pratt, who inherited it from her grandmother—Anna Rice Cooke, the founder of the Academy.”

The beautiful quilt, Ka’ohu o Halemano (The Mists of Halemano), made by Mrs. Ella Victor, is just one of 40 works that has a rich island family history behind it. Also on view will be a crazy quilt that belonged to two-time Republican senator for Hawai‘i’s Territorial Legislature Joseph Farrington—his grandmother made it during the Civil War while awaiting her husband’s return.

It is fascinating to trace the histories of the objects. Also on view will be two feather lei that the British naturalist, R.C. Perkins gave the Academy in 1951. They belonged to King Lunalilo’s grandmother, Princess Miriam Kalakua Kaheiheimaile. They then came into the possession of H.G. Crabbe, who was postmaster of Hawai‘i and was later appointed court chamberlain to Lunalilo. Crabbe gave the lei to Perkins’ wife, Zoe.

“Many of the gifts in the exhibition were inherited from a grandmother, or were made or collected by a grandmother,” says Oka. “Grandmothers are voices of the past, role models of the present and they open the doors to the future. Her words are the golden threads that bind families.”

Oka conducted hours of research in preparation for the show, finding out the artistic and personal details of each piece. For example, Academy Film Curator Gina Caruso is lending as a promised gift, a quilt her great grandmother made in Arkansas. Oka’s research revealed that the pattern Caruso’s grandmother used is called the Fly Foot, which is an adaption of the architectural design element known as Greek fret or fylfot, which was commonly used in early America as trim for porticoes, eaves, mantelpieces and staircases.

Through items as diverse as an ‘ahu‘ula (Hawaiian feather cape), an intricately embroidered Korean satin case, christening gowns, and a lace wedding gown, the exhibition illustrates how the making of cloth is often a result of the division of labor, marking relationships within a family, honoring reciprocal ties and forming familial alliances. Textiles are also offerings from loans and exchanges across bloodlines resulting in ancestral gifts handed down through generations.

The garments, accessories and furnishing items in In Honor of Grandmother are testimony to how we use them to celebrate life cycles and how they are an intimate connection to the lives of people and integrated family traditions.

SPECIAL PROGRAMMING

December is for Grandmothers: Throughout the month of December, people can bring their grandmother to see the exhibition and get in for free. A $20 savings. Applies to the grandmother and grandchild only—not whole families.

Community project: The Academy invites people to email a digital image of their grandmother to grandma@honoluluacademy.org. The photographs will be used in a work of art that will be completed at Bank of Hawaii Family Sunday on Jan. 17. Photo submission deadline: Jan. 8. You can also bring an image of your grandmother to Bank of Hawaii Family Sunday Jan. 17 and create a plastic tile, to be included into a big 'grandmother quilt' that will be displayed in the exhibition.

Bank of Hawaii Family Sunday: I [heart] Grandma
Jan. 17, 2010; 11am-5pm
Every third Sunday of the month, Bank of Hawai‘i sponsors a free day of art projects and other happenings focused on a theme. In January, the action will be geared towards things people can do with their grandmothers.

Special November admissions deal at Honolulu Academy of Arts and Mission Houses Museum: To encourage people to see both Hawaiian Flag Quilts: Legacy of Patriotism at the Mission Houses Museum and In Honor of Grandmother at the Academy, the two museums offer a special deal during the entire month of November. When you purchase a full-price ticket at one of the museums, simply bring either your Academy admission sticker or Mission Houses Museum admission sticker to the other institution and you’ll receive half-price admission.

Tours:
Tour and Tea is held every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 2:30pm in the galleries. Visitors join Academy docents for a tour followed by an art discussion over a glass of tea in the Pavilion Café. On Nov. 10 and 12, the tour will focus on In Honor of Grandmother, and will be led by Charlene Hughes, one of Hawai‘i’s leading quilters. Tour is free with museum admission. Reservations: 532-8700.

Spotlight Tours are held Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:30pm. These half-hour tours focus on a gallery and collection highlights. The topic changes weekly. No reservations are required. The topic will be In Honor of Grandmother Nov. 17-21. Free with museum admission.