Purchase a Bench, Support the Museum

The Museum is celebrating its twentieth anniversary by bringing contemporary art directly to the public through its BenchMark project. BenchMark has harnessed the creative energy of twenty of Hawaii’s leading artists and focused it on a utilitarian object--a garden bench--in recognition of The Contemporary Museum’s garden setting. These invited artists have crafted 20 benches from wood, glass, stone, concrete, metal, and ceramics--whatever material has fueled their imaginations.

The following benches are for sale at reduced prices:


The You Are Here, 2008
Rich Richardson
assemblage: wood and tire tread
96" H x 84" L x 36" D
$2,500

Artist Statement: This little boat we call Dinky has starred in five different art projects now. I found it three years ago, when I had a studio in a boat yard at Sand Island. I like to work with an amber tone, a low budget and recycled materials when possible. I try to represent my time and place, and I am fascinated with the collision between East and West on the streets of Chinatown where I have lived and worked for many years now. I like to play with words, and am currently working on the cover art, band names and album titles for CDs I’ll Never Record.



Bench for Contemplation, 2008
Ron Kent
marine ply
60” x 60” x 60”
$12,000

Ron Kent is one of Hawaii’s best known and accomplished artists working in the medium of wood. Best known for his turned wood bowls, Kent has employed his expert technical ability and keen sense of design to create a helix-shaped bench. Perhaps the title Hyperbole, meaning exaggerated statements, refers to the drama and exaggerated form of the bench, or just maybe the artist is anticipating our “wow” reaction.



Separatist, 2008
Christopher Reiner
99.3% obtanium (office chair bases, redwood louvers, pipe, metal shelving brackets, section of WWII mobile landing strip)
33" x 106.5" x 22"
$1,800

Calling his medium “obtainium,” Chris Reiner uses recycled materials and finds inspiration in the items people throw away, giving his discoveries new life, usually in a different form. In this way, Reiner explores issues facing all of us - environmental change, social responsibility and the individual’s role in a rapidly changing world.



BenchMarked, 2008
Deb Nehmad
wood and steel
18” x 48” x 24”
$3,600

Deborah Nehmad works with paper on which she burns numbers, letters, and marks in abstract patterns. Calling herself a “pyrographer,” the artist places the paper on a sheet of plywood which, in her words, “collects the history of her mark-making. The plywood, in turn, becomes the matrix for a series of woodblock prints.”

The artist states further that “the BenchMark project provided the perfect opportunity for me to incorporate one of these woodblocks as an integral part of a functional artwork. Collaborating with Chris Reiner, (another BenchMark artist) on the design and construction of the steel base, I varnished the woodblock and secured it to the base.”



The Getaway Bench, 2008
Scott Fitzel and KC Grennan
eucalyptus wood and reclaimed industrial hardware
15" H x 64" L x 22" D
$3,500



Perched, 2008
Jodi Endicott
teak, concrete, brass, resin
17” X 84” X 21.5”
$20,000

Perched incorporates 3 basic sculptural forms: a cone, cylinder and rectangle.

The rectangular bench component is made of solid teak planks held in place by bronze rods. One end of the bench is pierced with a cone made of reclaimed teak shavings inset in a tinted resin and sanded to a smooth finish. The opposite end of the bench is supported by a cast concrete cylinder that references a flat wheel.

Above the concrete cylinder lies a large, sleeping, blue cat. Though made of cast concrete, the cat appears soft and inviting. At the other end is a perched bird looking towards the cat. Oftentimes the cat and the bird are in conflict, however, in this installation, the two are in balance welcoming viewers to be a part of this elegant tranquility.

First Friday Artist Talk

Makiki Heights
Artist Talk for 20 Going on 21
Narrative Impulses in Contemporary Painting
Lynda Hess and Ryan Higa

Saturday, April 11, 2009
10:30 a.m.
Free to members
$8 Non-members/$6 students and seniors

Painters Lynda Hess and Ryan Higa talk about the narrative
aspects of their work.

Lynda Hess received a B.A. in Pacific Art History from the University of Hawaii, Manoa and is the recipient of several awards from the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce, Hess’ art has be en exhibited at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, in Florence (Italy), New York City, Los Angeles, Albuquerque and throughout Hawaii.

Lynda Hess, Inner Child, 2009, oil on canvas, 40 x 46 inches.


Receiving a B.F.A. in Printmaking from the University of Hawaii, Ryan Higa later earned an M.F.A. from University of Michigan in the same discipline in 1998. Higa’s work can be found in the collection of TCM and in private collections in the U.S., Japan and Europe. His art has been featured in exhibitions in Hawai’i and cities such as Seattle, Ann Arbor, Philadelphia and Memphis. Among many accomplishments, Higa has served on the Honolulu Printmakers’ Board of Directors and also was an Instructor at the Academy Art Center at Linekona.

Ryan Higa, Yesterday Ain't Over Yet, 2009, acrylic on wood,
30 x 24 inches, photo: Hal Lum.


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Upcoming Talks

April 25
From Carrots to Scotch Tape; Making Art with Everyday Materials
Mixed media artists Mark Maresca, Vince Hazen and Mat Kubo talk about the everyday materials and processes they use in creating works of art.

May 16
Photographing Presence and Absence
Photographers Bruna Stude and Andrew Binkley give illustrated and in-depth presentations on their work.�

Click here for more information.

Go green! and check out these wonderful "Garden Items" in The Contemporary Museum Shop during the month of October.

Studio Visit with Wood Sculptor & TCM Member, Ron Kent: Part 1

Recently, some TCM staff visited local artist Ron Kent, who is also a long-time member of the museum. Ron is known for his eggshell-thin, bowl-formed vessels, which were meticulously lathe produced. His work has been shown in major museums around the world and has even found its way into the private collections of notable celebrities such as musician John Denver and funny woman Whoopi Goldberg. So, we were just thrilled when Ron allowed us to interview him and then gave us a tour of his studio and home.

In his studio, Ron discussed wood turning and sculpture in contemporary art with Tegan Hammond (TCM Assistant Educator), Courtney Biggs (Exhibitions Assistant), and Christine Feldman (Benchmark Event Co-Chair). During the visit, Tegan recorded video interviews with Christine and Ron talking about his latest project and with Courtney about how the role of wood objects fit in the realm of contemporary art.

In his home, he pointed out work from his early career as an artist. Resting in a corner of a large sun-filled room, bottles that were produced thirty five years ago were arranged like pins patiently waiting for someone to bowl a strike.

At one point, as Ron talked about his egg sculptures also carved earlier in his career, he thoughtfully explained in a joking manner how many had been drawn to these pieces and that the behavior could probably be described as Freudian.

Among Ron's collection, there were a couple of objects that were made partly of fine Japanese paper rather than entirely of wood, including a floor to ceiling-length lantern, originally designed to be a model of a Zeppelin. He was also very proud to share a tall wooden vessel that evoked the feeling of a vortex when peering down into its opening.

Additionally, Ron is one of twenty local artists, who have been asked to design and construct benches for the upcoming TCM event, Benchmark, which will feature his bench along with the others for purchase and auction.

We were lucky enough to have a first-hand look at the bench. He even gave us a demonstration on how the color and detail of the finish in the wood was produced by utilizing a blow torch and applying wood oil.

Look for all of the artists’ benches, including Ron’s, around the Honolulu community from September 14 through October 14, 2008 and on view at the TCM Makiki Heights location for one week, October 18 through October 26, 2008.

ArtSpree 2008 - TCM Online Portrait Gallery

Thanks to the Ron and Sanne Higgins Family Foundation for their sponsorship of the Friends of The Contemporary Museum’s annual openhouse, ArtSpree.

ArtSpree 2003 was a free, fabulous fun-filled day for folks of all ages with continuous art activities, demonstrations and performances of dance, music and art by local artists. Included in the activities was an opportunity for the ArtSpree visitors to have their pictures taken in the TCM Membership Photo Booth.

(Click on slideshow to go to portrait albums and to increase the size.)

Artists & Performers


TCM Members


Family, Friends & Individuals


The Cool Kids


TCM Staff & Volunteers

TCM Staff - ArtSpree Test Shots

ArtSpree 2008 is coming up at the TCM Makiki Heights location. The Membership Department is going to have a photo booth set up for TCM Members. The photo booth was designed and painted by University of Hawaii graduate student in painting, Brian Lo, with TCM Membership Coordinator, Rujunko Pugh, assisting him.

Photo booth construction (exterior design):






Test shots:
Below are images taken within the interior of the photo booth with some of the lovely TCM staff as models.