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Blessing ceremony with Kahu Nani Hill and artist Kazu Kuʻinana for Holomua installation.

Kauaʻi Community College’s recently installed, state-comissioned cast bronze sculpture entitled Holomua stands at the entrance of the college encouraging students to move forward in their academic endeavors. The sculpture, installed on October 29, was created by commissioned artist Kazu Fukuda Kuʻinana.

According to Kuʻinana, Holomua represents student progress and improvement. Eleven feet tall, poised on a hemisphere representing the world that awaits them, stands a strong figure with one foot stepping forward, torso bent forward and arms together in a bowing haʻina gesture of respect and gratitude.

“Teaching and learning are life-long endeavors,” said Jonathan Johnson, executive director of the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. He added that Kauaʻi Community College is right at the center of creative thought on the island. “We are so happy with the sculpture and believe it will be thought-provoking for both the students and the public,” he said.

More on artist Kazu Fukuda Kuʻinana

Kuʻinana earned a bachelor of fine arts from UH Mānoa and a master’s of fine arts from the University of Colorado Boulder. A world traveler, he now makes his home in the islands after spending more than 15 years in New York City.

“Every public art commission is a huge personal, educational and professional growth experience for me,” said Kuʻinana. “I am very honored and grateful to have had the opportunity to create this special piece.”

Kuʻinana did extensive background research for his design. At the college, he attended school events, talked with many students and a full range of staff and even store owners in the neighborhood. “It is my hope that the sculpture may inspire students to be excited about their future and move forward in their lives.”

Read the Kauaʻi CC news release for more information.

—By Camilla Matsumoto

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