Raku Ho'olaule'a: ancient Zen embraces community

By Victoria Gail-White
Advertiser Art Critic

•	Raku Ho'olaule'a 2003 Exhibit through July 19 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays The ARTS at Marks Garage 1159 Nu'uanu Ave.

Ellen Kevis, who has co-chaired and chaired the event for the past four years, reported that this year approximately 130 people fired in the kilns and 250 people joined in the event, including students from the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and Windward Community College. The potters split up into 10 groups, each with at least one kiln.

Raku is the traditional Asian way of firing pottery, then placing it in contact with various materials that cause the glazes to react and change in unpredictable ways.

"This is a wonderful event," says Kevis. "It is always open to the public on the first Saturday in June. You can bring a picnic, watch everyone firing, and fire one yourself in the community kiln."

Many well-known potters donate their bisque ware (fired pottery that's ready for be glazed) for this community fund-raising event. For only $5 you can pick a pot, glaze and fire it, and take it home. Kevis said that many people make this part of their Christmas gift-making experience.

This year's guest artist and juror (selected by the Hawaii Craftsmen Board of Directors) is Harvey Sadow. He is chairman of the Ceramics Department at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. His qualifications also include a worldwide reputation and 35 years of experience in American raku pottery.

There is a difference between the traditional raku of 16th-century Japan and the Western raku that has been developing over the past 30 years or so.

The traditional form is aligned with the basic Zen pursuit of oneness with creation, while the Western form has evolved into a more dynamic art form.

Hawai'i's Raku Ho'olaule'a brings the ancient Zen concept into reality for the many who experience the event.

A juror-selected exhibit accompanies the event. This year, Sadow selected the awards in the contemporary and children's categories, and Tomo Hisa Sochi Yamamoto of the Urasenke Foundation selected the award winners for the traditional tea-ceremony category.

In his guest artist's statement, Sadow writes, "Hawai'i is now home to a group of artists and craftspersons who collectively possess as broad a body of knowledge about raku-fired ceramics as anyone in the world. This exhibition of ceramic work produced at the 2003 Raku Ho'olaule'a bears witness to that." The exhibit now on display at The ARTS at Marks Garage is an all-inclusive range of works: masks, animals, jars, bowls and sculptures in all shapes and sizes.

A "working feeling" emanates from the beautiful installation by Susan Rogers-Aregger, Steve Martin and Ellen Kevis. Pedestals displaying the selected works are sprinkled with combustibles (dried coconut leaves, sawdust, etc.) used in the reduction process (the burning of the combustibles with the glazed pottery, which steals the oxygen from the metallic oxides in the glazes and produces the effects and colors as well as smoking the unglazed surface).

A large metal garbage can, brought from the park, also sits on a pedestal. Charred from its loyal service and filled with combustible material, it is the vessel that delivers the surprises that are a distinct feature of the raku firing process: metallic oxide flashes, colors and special effects.

"I chose works that I came to respect for their eloquence, visual strengths, spirit and handling of materials," writes Sadow in his artist's statement. "I focused first on ideas and techniques that I understood and respect without question, and then tried to open myself to works that were less comfortable for me, but which demanded my attention and ultimately my respect. Thus, the show reflects not only my personal preferences, but also the broadest range of individual styles and ideas that I could support for inclusion in the exhibition."

The works that won awards in the Contemporary category are: First Place: Lucille Morelli's "Pit Servant," a figure lying on its back holding a bowl. Second Place: Jeff Chang's "China Mist," a lidded vessel with a burnished white surface and thin black calligraphic marks made with horse hair. Third Place: Catherine H. Moher's "Zebuton," two embossed pillows with tea pots.

Honorable Mentions were awarded to Allana Coffee, Birgitta Frazier and Reiko Groah.

The Traditional category awards were given to: First Place: Steve Martin's "Orange Tea," a tea bowl. Second Place: Eleanor Onizuka's "Lava Pot," a lidded tea container. Third Place: Maren Mosier's "Tea Bowl."

The Minors category awards went to: First Place: Kristen Kogachi's "Lobotomy," a white mask-like face. Second Place: Jenny Hazlehurst's "Waiting," an angelic figure in a knee-holding position. Third Place: Micah Thrasher's "World of Support," roots holding up a shiny metallic orb.

Honorable Mentions were awarded to Caleb Caris, Daniel Harano and Alena Lau.

Sadow's work also is on display. In "Ken's Volcano in Progress," the shape of the vessel seems secondary to the multilayered glazes and effects — a prime example of an artist's ability to let go, play and discover.

"What I like about the event," says Phillip Markwart (attending since 1978) "is that it's a whole event just for the sake of the process." He made a small propane kiln out of a fiber-lined gas tank. It took five hours to fire "Chaire I," a small tea container with a wood lid. "I used a 12-volt marine battery to fan the wood and coals," Markwart said. "The kiln heated to 2,300 degrees, which is much hotter then the 1,800-degree limit of most raku kilns."

Sake cups made during the event are on sale in the gallery, two for $5.

Kevis has passed the chairman's baton to Kip Howe, a recent Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate, and this reviewer thinks we can expect another great event and exhibit next year.