Alumna Creates Bust of Bruddah Iz

Alumna artist Jan-Michelle Sawyer will present her commemorative bust of the late musician Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole to the people of Hawai‘i in mid September at the at the Wai‘anae Neighborhood Community Center.

The Bruddah IZ sculpture is not Sawyer’s first gift commemorating legendary Hawaiian musicians. In 2001, her bronze portrait bust of slack-key guitarist and falsetto master Gabby "Pops" Pahinui was installed at the main gate to the Waikiki Shell. "Gabby’s mana remains embedded in the hearts of those who love Hawaiian music," she said at the time. Two dozen Hawai‘i musicians participated in a fundraiser to help defray cost of the bronze casting.

Creation of t he Iz sculpture, which also uses the lost wax method of bronze casting, is partially funded by a commission from the Duke Kahanamoku Family Foundation and support from hundreds of Iz fans. Sawyer, who has donated her time, began working on logistics 18 months ago with project coordinator
Liz Rizzo.

Sawyer earned her MA in communications from UH Manoa in 1992 and continued graduate studies through 1997. A recipient of the Vermont Studio artist-in-residence program, she has been sculpting for more than 13 years and splits her time between studios in Honolulu and Nevada City, Calif. She also teaches, and she shares her insights and experiences through an online column.

"Sculpture needs to be explored. Viewing and responding to a three-dimensional work of art involves a personal kind of interaction," she writes. "Just walking around a piece of sculpture will change the viewer’s experience of the piece. You can see the different shapes rise, fall and flow into each other as you explore the piece from different angles. …Outdoor sculpture will change dramatically as the light changes with the day.” Viewers who question their own assumptions may discover nuances in the artwork and learn about themselves.

Sawyer’s work can also be seen at Cedar Street Gallery in Honolulu. Contact her at JMSawyer@aaahawk.com.

Awards and Honors

James Moncur, director of Manoa's Water Resources Research Center, was voted president-elect of the National Institutes for Water Research.

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SCOOPS
Manoa Associate Professor of History David Chappell will present a paper on Kamak radical Nidoish Naisseline at the Australian Association for French Studies in Brisbane in July.

Manoa alum Joakim Peter (MA ’94) received the Western Association of Educational Opportunity Personnel's Lifetime Achievement Award for furthering educational access for disadvantaged and disabled individuals.

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