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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, November 16, 2008

The art of the arty gift

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

The Botticelli frog by Kay Mura, at The Contemporary Museum. Find original garden art and decor at its Garden Art Sale.

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

License-plate purse at Kaimalino Designs, on North Pauahi Street. The shop boasts work from Island artists in a range of prices.

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Shop@HISAM is stocked with lots of locally made treasures.

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

This Korean-style vase by internationally known Karatsu potter Takashi Nakazato will be in the Art Center Ceramics Exhibition and Benefit Sale.

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With Thanksgiving around the corner and Black Friday on its heels, it's time to think about gift-giving.

This year, if you're looking for something unique and outside the (big) box, you might want to think about combing museums and galleries for unique gifts and Island touches.

  • Shop@HISAM, the gift store on the first floor of the Hawai'i State Art Museum, is stocked with locally made treasures. A sister store to Na Mea Hawai'i, which operates the museum's shop, the museum sells whimsical jewelry, designer aloha shirts, lauhala ornaments, blown-glass vases and batik scarves.

    For children on your list, eco-friendly recycled crayons might fit the bill. Pet owners, on the other hand, might appreciate something from the dog and cat lovers' section.

    Want something with a more personal touch? Visit the gift store on Dec. 5 or 6 when it features holiday ornaments. You can make-and-take your own ceramic ornament and decorate a cookie while you're there.

    Find it in the No. 1 Capitol District Building, 250 S. Hotel St., 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 6-9 p.m. on First Fridays; 586-0900, 586-0305, go to www.hawaii.gov/sfca.

  • If you haven't been to the Mission Houses Museum Store in the past couple years, it boasts a new look, but still carries made-in-Hawai'i items from more than 180 craftsmen, including art, books, collectibles and old-fashioned toys, puzzles and games for keiki.

    Lilith Samson, the museum's director of sales, said some of the hottest-selling items are bone carvings by Sami Fevaleaki of Kahuku, who learned the craft as a child in Tonga. "We sell an unbelievable amount of his hooked necklaces," she said.

    Other popular items are quilts, ceramics and bowls crafted from native Hawaiian woods like macadamia, milo and koa.

    The store also carries gourmet products, including cornbread mix and tea from the Big Island's Hawaiian Vanilla Co. Custom-made gift baskets can be ordered to showcase local edibles.

    553 S. King St., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 29-30 as the museum hosts its annual holiday craft fair; 531-0481, go to www.missionhouses.org.

    • The Contemporary Museum Shop, nestled within a historic estate on Makiki Heights, features original garden art and decor during its Garden Art Sale.

    Anyone in the market for garden ornaments, decorative lanterns, bird baths or supplies can check out unique creations by regional artists, such as Ira Ono's whimsical garden goddess stakes, Diane KW's unusual hand-carved lava flow lanterns, Etsuko Douglass's birdhouses and water dispensers or Kay Mura's ceramic birdbaths and frog sculptures.

    Original garden art pieces range in price from $65 to $1,400, but for those on a tighter budget, the store also carries herb gardens and flower starter kits, floral abstract greeting cards and calendars, as well as garden stakes and ornaments.

    2411 Makiki Heights Drive, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays; 526-0232, www.tcmhi.org.

  • The Honolulu Academy of Arts' annual World Bazaar opens Nov. 29, but those in the mood to shop a few days earlier can visit the Art Center Ceramics Exhibition and Benefit sale starting Nov. 25, featuring affordable pieces from local and international potters such as Karatsu potter Takashi Nakazato, known as Japan's most skilled ceramics thrower.

    Nakazato did a short residency at the Academy Art Center, where he made the works included in the exhibition.

    Also for sale will be wheel-thrown vessels and sculptures by Daven Dee, whose work was recently featured at The Contemporary Museum at the First Hawaiian Center.

    The World Art Bazaar, which runs Nov. 29-Dec. 14, will feature handmade crafts from around the globe, with one-of-a-kind jackets and scarves, Asian antiques, hand-woven textiles and an extensive array of jewelry.

    While one of the two crewel embroidered jackets from India will cost $495, many of the bazaar items have an affordable price tag, and most of the contemporary crafts are fair trade.

    The ceramics exhibition and sale will run through Dec. 14 in the Linekona Art Center's Second Floor gallery, while the World Art Bazaar takes over the first floor.

    1111 Victoria St. (across from the Honolulu Academy of Arts), 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 p.m.-5 p.m. Sundays; 532-8700, www.honoluluacademy.org.

  • If you're in the mood to wander, the Chinatown Arts District is a fun place to browse for unique gifts, with galleries, boutiques and specialty stores offering novel gifts and work by local artists. Go for a stroll during your lunch break, take a gallery tour on First Friday or go to www.artsdistricthonolulu.com to plan a more strategic shopping exhibition. Check with the various galleries and shops for hours.

    One option: At Kaimalino Designs, you can find work from Island artists for as little as 60 cents for a gift tag or as much as $300 for a print. For those looking to spend somewhere in between, check out hand-printed clothing; specialty cards, stationery and gift wrap; Hawaiian license plate purses; turned wooden bowls and watercolor, pastel and photographic prints.

    3 N. Pauahi St., noon-5 p.m. Mondays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays; 537-2248.

    Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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