Academy installing Filipino arts gallery

By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Honolulu Academy of Arts will begin installing artwork next week in what will become a new permanent

Filipino arts gallery, to open Sept. 25.

The gallery, on the second floor of the main wing, will be named the George and Nancy Ellis Gallery of Filipino Arts, in honor of the museum's recently retired director and his wife. It will be the first gallery dedicated to the art of the Philippines in Hawai'i.

The new gallery will showcase antique furnishings, tribal jewelry, basketry and costumes, religious carved figures and statuary and embroidered cloth. It occupies more than 1,200 square feet, and it is fitted with new casework, lighting, climate control, security systems and flooring. It will be wheelchair-accessible.

Ellis, whose expertise includes Filipino art, is curating the gallery exhibition. The project is financed by donations in Ellis' honor and through gifts from the Filipino community and collectors, including Ellis.

The art museum plans to present educational programs in collaboration with O'ahu's new Filipino Community Center, including teacher's workshops and displays at the center, said director Stephen Little in a written release. An "ambassador" program featuring art of the Philippines is also planned.