The Hawai‘i Triennial: History, Place, Identity • Bernice Akamine

MONDAY • April 11, 2022
4:15pm PDT | 1:15pm HST
with Bernice Akamine (HB19 artist)

via Zoom

A'ohe hana nui ke alu 'ia. No task is too big when done together by all.

Bernice Akamine began to pursue a career in art later in life than many artists. Akamine chose to raise a family and then return to school; during her studies at the University of Hawai‘i she rediscovered art; deciding that doing what one loves is most important, she changed her major and was awarded a Bachelor of Fine Arts in glass, 1994 and a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture and glass, 1999. Akamine has been taking Hawaiian cultural classes and workshops throughout much of her life and during the summer and winter of 2010 attended the Hawaiian Ohana for Education in the Arts in Waimea. She is recognized for her kapa and work with waiho‘olu‘u, Hawaiian natural dyes. Akamine’s grandmother, Kaha Halela‘au was a kahuna lapa‘au, traditional Hawaiian healer, descended from generations of healers, and her mother, Audrey Elliott was a lauhala weaver.

Akamine’s work can be found in the permanent collection of the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts; Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts; Portland Art Museum, Oregon; American Museum of Natural History, New York; Hallie Ford Museum, Salem, Oregon; Australian Museum, Sydney and the Queensland Art Gallery/Museum of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia among other public collections. Akamine received a Honolulu Biennial 2019, Golden Hibiscus, Honorable Mention Award; 2018, First Peoples Fund, Cultural Capital Fellowship; 2015, Native Hawaiian Artist Fellowship, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation; 2012, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Community Scholar Award; 2003, Award of Excellence, Fiber Hawai‘i; and a 1999, Visiting Artist Award, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian, New York City.