Handweavers, glass artists share exhibition in Chinatown

After spending much of the first part of the year in limbo, members of the ­Hawai‘i Handweavers Hui have gotten a reprieve, and it’s celebrating with its 33rd biennial juried exhibition.

The organization had to leave the Honolulu Museum of Art School but has found a new home at the Downtown Art Center in Chinatown. Its current exhibition is now on display there through Friday, along with a juried show from the Glass Fusion Collective, in a combined show titled “Inspirations.”

The Handweavers exhibition consists of 69 works by 28 artists and features a variety of textile items, from wall hangings to scarves, shawls and sculptural pieces.

“The tactile language of fiber is an exceptional metaphor for responses to inspiration,” said Suzi Ballenger, president of the Handweavers Guild of America, in her juror’s statement. “The most moving and visually engaging textile/fiber art presents a strong narrative seamlessly connected with technique. It is hoped that these works will catch your in-breath, spur ideas and stimulate further responses.”

Thirteen entries garnered awards, with the coveted Handweavers Hui award going to Ghislaine Chock’s “The Forgotten Coverlet of 1862,” a delicate pattern based on a coverlet that was photographed lying next to President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. In her artist’s statement, Chock said the piece originated with a Zoom discussion about arts during the Black Lives Matter movement, which led her to do research into weaving by slaves in the 19th century.

Another award winner was Joan Namkoong’s “Symmetry,” a tapestry inspired by a pattern she saw at the Muhammad Amin Khan ­Madrasa, formerly an Islamic school in Uzbekistan that dates to the mid-19th century. She visited the area in 2019.

The Glass Fusion Collective’s contributions include 65 pieces by 23 glass artists. Glass artist Mark Mitsuda juried the show.

The Downtown Art Center is located at 1041 Nuuanu Ave., second floor, and is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays. All visitors must have proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result taken within the previous 48 hours. Children under 12 are exempt.

For more information, visit downtownarthi.org.