Big Island Doings

Do you know a 10- or 11-year-old who is curious about Japan and wants to participate in an international cultural exchange program in Japan next summer?

The Japan-America Society of Hawaii is accepting applications from Hawaii students born between Aug. 1, 2007, and Aug. 31, 2008, who want to serve as Junior Ambassadors to the 31st Asian-Pacific Children’s Convention from July 14-25, 2019, in Fukuoka, Japan.

Up to six selected Junior Ambassadors from Hawaii will join over 200 students from over 40 Asian-Pacific countries and regions at a global youth camp and stay with a Japanese host family.

Travel between Honolulu and Japan, accommodations and transportation in Japan, and most other costs will be covered by JASH and the convention. The selected ambassadors also prepare for the summer trip at monthly training workshops in Honolulu.

The application and information about the 31st Asian-Pacific Children’s Convention program can be found online at www.jashawaii.org/education. The application must be received by JASH or postmarked no later than Friday, Dec. 28, 2018.

The Asian-Pacific Children’s Convention promotes mutual understanding and friendship, nurtures international awareness in young people, and works toward world peace and coexistence.

Questions about the program should be directed to David Nakanishi at dnakanishi@jashawaii.org or (808) 524-4450.

The Japan-America Society of Hawaii is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization with the mission of promoting understanding and friendship between the peoples of Japan and the United States through the special and unique perspective of Hawaii.

Glenn McClure, composer, educator and data scientist, will be the next artist-in-residence at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

McClure will present his work during a free lecture and concert at 6 p.m. Jan. 11, 2019, at Kilauea Visitor Center.

Originally from rural upstate New York, McClure was influenced by a wide array of musical styles, including gospel, merengue, salsa and choir. He studied music as a child and in college, and traveled the world as a professional composer.

McClure currently teaches music and humanities at Paul Smiths College in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.

“I will work with volcanologists, analyzing current data that describes the volcanoes and listening to the music that emerges from the sonification process,” he said about his 30-day residency. “Hiking through the park and other locations on Hawaii Island, and improvisation with local musicians, will generate impressions and sounds that I cannot predict. I look forward to hearing the voices of the island through its volcanoes, scientists and musicians.”

During the residency, McClure will share his creative process through blogs, videos and more at www.artforbrains.com starting later this month.

The park’s artist-in-residence program is supported by the National Parks Arts Foundation, the National Park Service, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and other generous benefactors.

McClure’s music has enjoyed international acclaim in Germany, Italy, Mexico, Nicaragua, Japan, Korea, Thailand and beyond. In the United States, his music has been featured in multiple concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Orchestra Hall.

National broadcasts of his music and artistic process include National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and the CBS Christmas Special. As a scholar and educator, McClure received the Chancellors Award — the highest award given to adjunct lecturers by the State University of New York.

The National Parks Arts Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of the national parks of the U.S. through creating dynamic opportunities for artworks based in our natural and historic heritage.

All NPAF programs are made possible through the philanthropic support of donors, ranging from corporate sponsors and small business to art patrons and citizen supporters of the parks.

‘Tis that time of the year again.

‘Imiloa Astronomy Center proudly presents its 2018 Holiday Tree, featuring an authentic, unique, fun and beautiful collection of paper sea creatures, expertly folded by origami artists from around the world. The models were originally created for display on a holiday tree at the Japan Airlines counter at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport in 2009 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hawaii statehood.

This collection was generously donated to ‘Imiloa in 2015 by the project organizer, Alvin Miyatake, a longtime JAL staff member with ties to Origami USA, the organization that has created an annual origami holiday tree at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City for more than 40 years.

Among the many different origami models swimming around the ‘Imiloa tree are yellow tangs, sea urchins, jellyfish, crabs, clownfish, sea horses, sea snails, crabs, baby kumu fish, angelfish, sharks, a humpback whale, a barracuda, lots of turtles and even Hawaii’s state fish, the humuhumunukunukuapua‘a. The public is invited to visit, view and enjoy taking photos of this special, one-of-a-kind holiday tree, which also showcases eight non-sea creatures found in or near the ocean.

Folding was done throughout the U.S. mainland, Europe and South America, as well as in Hawaii. Artists included some of the leaders of the modern origami movement including Michael LaFosse and Richard Alexander of Origamido in Massachusetts, and Sok Song of New York City. The Kusudama star on the top of the tree was folded locally for ‘Imiloa by Julien Lozi, senior optical scientist at Subaru Telescope, from a pattern designed by Ekaterina Lukasheva.

Origami is more than an art form. Its principles and techniques have been applied to the sciences, including space technology. From time to time, ‘Imiloa hosts origami-themed programs including folding workshops and presentations about the intersections between paper folding and the sciences.

The Holiday Tree is on display now through Jan. 13 in the atrium of the astronomy center, located at 600 ‘Imiloa Place in Hilo. The center is open to the public from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

For more information, visit www.imiloahawaii.org.

On Oct. 20, employees from Hawaii Electric Light Co. and other community organizations volunteered their time to help remove 11 old poles from the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island’s Hilo Club’s baseball fields.

BGCBI installed the poles and equipment to light the fields many years ago. With time, termite and dry rot damage caused a safety concern for the organization. The cost for removal was estimated at $70,000. As a struggling nonprofit, BGCBI could not afford this.

Mahalo to HELCO employees Tad Araki, Chris Chun-Hoon, Peter Grace, Mike Kameoka, Kerry Kanakaole, Owen Kaneshiro, Garner Kelii, Joshua Lau, Bryan Lum, Dane Souza, Kyle Sugi, Jason Tanaka and Kevin Waltjen, who turned out in force to remove the deteriorating poles and equipment to make the fields safe for the organization’s keiki.

These volunteers generously gave up their Saturday to keep the area safe for youth activities. They worked nonstop for many hours in often torrential rains, using special equipment to safely remove the poles and prevent the equipment from leaking oil.

HELCO volunteers were supported by other community volunteers, along with BGCBI board members and staff.

In addition to donating employees’ time, HELCO has contributed $100,000 to BGCBI’s Nutritional Supplementation Program, which provides daily healthy meals or snacks to youth members at all of the organization’s club sites.

For more than 65 years, Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island has been at the forefront of youth development. Its programs in Hilo, Keaau, Kealakehe, Pahala, Pahoa and Ocean View offer a safe, nurturing and fun environment for youth to participate in activities that inspire academic success, healthy lifestyles and leadership and character building.