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.