The State Procurement Office has signed off on the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands plan to pay $75,000 for a portrait of Prince Kuhio to hang in its new offices in Kapolei. The SPO essentially said that DHHL has a statutory right to purchase art without bidding.
But the move prompted several readers to comment here, and yesterday drew this angry message from noted artist Rocky Jensen.
Am I appalled??? Damn right, I am. Indigenous artists have been fighting since 1976 to have our art recognized, acclaimed and purchased. And, now in 2008, we have many fine artists who should be the guardians and caretakers of their iconographic imagery, whether traditional, contemporary, inclusive of realistic portraits. What is the Department thinking?
Sometimes, I am so disheartened at the slow progress we’ve made in the visual arts world. It is sad to see that Hale Naua III, Soceity of Maoli Arts has been fighting a loosing battle when our own do not recognize the fight. $75,000??? Is the woman kidding??? Not even a Herb Kane sells for that price. Oh yes, I forgot, we Indigenous must sell at NPP {Native People’s Prices}.
But really, that’s not the point!!! An Indigenous organization, department, or whatever should commission and purchase from it’s native contingency, and native contingency ONLY. They hold a moral responsibility to do so. That is the only way we will be recognized in the art arenas of the world…when we are acclaimed in our own land.
No, no, no…forget the State Foundation on Culture & The Arts, who has NEVER supported the Indigenous Movement…forget about the hanai daughter of Paulie Jennings, a woman I know extremely well…and am so very suprised and upset that she would condone such a thing…forget about purchasing from outsider, when you have a multitude of artists just waiting for a chance to benefit from their Indigenous department’s generosity??? Did I say generosity??? Kala mai ia’u!!! So, what can I do to stop this travesty???
So….is anyone going to file a protest?
Will the local artists who are being insulted by this write letters to the newspaper? the DHHL? the Governors office?
Surely they don’t have the “statutory right” to spend 30 times what something is worth (based on her website prices). So what if someone is saying they’ll pay four times that, let them!
“is anyone going to file a protest? Will the artists insulted by this write letters ? ”
O ye, of little faith. Just watch and wait.. for the firestorm. “letters”?! huh.
Re; the sale, we hear:
“Ms. Magno offers to sell a painting to the State for $75,000 while claiming that it is worth as much as $300,000″ “there are others interested in the piece at more than four times the above price”
Ok. Have Magno loan the cartoon to us. Have Magno hand over these contacts that would buy her cheese-spread for so much more than a Herb Kane would sell for. We sell it to the mysterious “others interested” for the 300k. We pay Magno her 75. Hawaiian artists/Rocky receives the 200k plus. Out of the generosity of our hearts, we donate a stunning large painting done by a Hawaiian Indigenous Artist (that others interested, if they saw the piece, would pay a cool mil for…) Result. Everyone is happy. Until the next State/City/County insult.