Snow? Huh.

I just browsed the Minneapolis Star Tribune and noticed that the National weather service has predicted a storm of 8" moving into the Twin Cities metro area. I love a fresh coating of snow in April.

Building begins

This morning I was introduced to the Art Department. Wendy and Jaimey helped get me acclimated and introduced me to some key people. I met a team of great artists today whom have been gathering materials for the past several weeks. Dan and Jeff were really helpful in getting some lumber ripped and sorted. Much of the materials came from Re-use Hawai'i which is an amazing resource for this project.

We tracked down the trailer from the Science and Engineering department. Jaimey borrowed a truck from Al to tow the trailer, he is a student in the glass department. Its kind of amazing how everyone is willing to chip in, lend a car, move some materials, drive you to the hardware store...

After work Jaimey, Jeff, Jean, Sarah and I hit up Jimbo's, a really amazing Japanese noodle shop. The good food vibe is still flowing. Tomorrow we are making another trip to Re-use Hawai'i before a long day of building. I think we should be able to get a lot done in the next few days.

Food, what makes travel great.

Ahi summer rolls.


Leonards Malasadas. Custard madness!


the Kimchee selection at the local grocer.


roadside BBQ chicken.


grilling some Korean BBQ

arrival, lots of food, really tired.

Well, after 13 hours of flights and layovers, I finally made it. Sarah had arrived a few hours before me and her and our good friend Jean Pitman were waiting for me in the baggage claim.

The first thing that hit me coming through the tunnel from the plane was the thick humid air. Like August in Minnesota. The second thing was the intense fragrant air, like a bouquet of flowers constantly resting under my nose, but not in an intense, sharp, fake perfume way. More subtle and full. Its just the beginning of what I can only call a two day sensory overload.

Since settling into the guest housing on campus, we've mostly eaten amazing food thanks to Jean and her knowledge of the good food spots. In one and a half days its been a steady course of Japanese-Hawai'ian summer rolls, ahi-tar tar, garlic ahi, Filipino pastries, shrimp truck food, rice cake dessert, korean bbq, shaved ice, and a few ice cold beers.

Today, after getting a campas tour by Jean, we hit the North shore. Jean drove us up in her mid 80's (?) Volvo sedan. Along the way we snacked on some amazing roadside food and stopped at a few scenic overlooks. We stopped at one of the beaches along the north shore, sat out on the beach and swam for a good hour in the ocean. It was pretty busy, full of families and surfers, but overall it was really nice. The temps remained in the mid 80's all day which forced you into the ocean to cool yourself down. It was great watching the waves slowly roll and break. Truly a beautiful way to spend a few hours. My Hawai'ian skin showed its normal rate of transformation as I quickly turned as dark as the locals.

Tonight we are back chilling in the room and trying to stay awake so that we can adjust to the jet lag. Tomorrow I will hook up with Jaimey Hamilton and Wendy Kawabata to look at the materials and trailer options. I hope to have a solid project plan set by the end of tomorrow. Time to get to work!

About the project...

Minnesota based artist Michael Hoyt is the University Hawai'i Manoa Intersections Program Artist In Residence for April, 2008. Hoyt will work with UHM art department students to build a Norae (karaoke) Shanty that will be temporarily installed in public venues thru ought the island of Oahu.

UHM Intersections Program and The ARTS @ Marks Garage announces the following events:

Public lecture by Michael Hoyt, Intersections artist in residence.
UHM Art Building Auditorium
April 1 @ 7:30pm

Michael Hoyt's Norae Shanty will be installed outside Marks Garage. Visitors will be invited to share in the unique and evocative process of singing karaoke, actively creating the emergence of new pathways for connecting to diverse peoples and communities through divergent, yet supportive, means of communication.

Marks Garage, 1159 Nuuanu Avenue, Honolulu, HI April 4, 2008, 5pm to 9pm

Michael Hoyt¹s Norae Shanty will also be open to the public between April 4th and April 18th at locations to be announced.

Bio:
Michael Hoyt is a visual artist with national exhibition record in painting and installation art. He grew up in Minnesota and received his BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Hoyt has received grants and awards from the MN State Arts Board and the Jerome Foundation and has been a past artist in residence at Roanoke College in VA.

As an Asian-American artist, Hoyt attempts to illuminate the hyphen, and aspires to create work that represents the enormous richness, contradiction, and vitality that defines the American experience, in order to stimulate debate, raise awareness, and build bridges within and beyond community.

Hoyt is currently the Executive Director of the Minneapolis based Kulture Klub Collaborative, an innovative arts organization that partners youth experiencing homelessness with artists and artistic practice, bridging survival with inspiration.

Intersections website: www.hawaii.edu/art/intersections

Special thanks for sponsorship from:

The ARTS @ Marks Garage
The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts The Laila-Twigg Smith Art Fund Hawaii Arts Alliance

Contact:
Wendy Kawabata
Assistant Professor of Art
Chair, Intersections Visiting Artist and Scholar Program Department of Art and Art History University of Hawai'i at Manoa
2535 McCarthy Mall
Honolulu, HI 96822
808-956-5252
wendyak@hawaii.edu

Two days...

I will be leaving for my residency at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in just over a week. I'm so incredibly excited for this really amazing opportunity. I will continue to update this page throughout my three week residency.