Like her longtime friend Jean Charlot, Juliette May Fraser gave to Hawai'i an artistic vision of itself that was as authentic in spirit as it was creative in presentation.
Fraser was born in Honolulu in 1887. After graduating from Wellesley College, she returned to Hawai'i to work as a teacher while saving up money to pursue her true passion — art. Her formal training came at the Art Students League in New York, later a haven for other locally born artists.
Returning again to Honolulu, Fraser took her first commission, a mural, from Mrs. Charles Adams.
Fraser worked in a variety of media, from linoleum cut to ceramic to oils. But, it was her subdued yet powerful murals that earned her the most acclaim, with commissions coming from all over the world.
In 1934, Fraser was approached by the Federal Work Progress Administration to paint a series of murals for the Hawai'i State Library. She worked for $35 per week for three months until funds ran out. Undaunted, Fraser continued to work on the pieces until they were completed.
The murals, still on display in the Edna Allyn Room, reflect Fraser's lifelong interest in Hawaiian legend and other Hawaiian themes, visually re-telling stories of Aukele the Seeker, Punia and the sharks, Kaukiuki the menehune and other tales.
In 1962, Fraser spent a year working with David Asherman painting the walls of a Greek Orthodox church in Chios, Greece.
In addition to numerous venues statewide, Fraser's work also is displayed at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution.
Fraser died in 1983 at the age of 96.
