MEDIA RELEASE

Darva Escobar won the Jurors’ Choice award in the youth division of the Hawaii Nei 2009 art competition.

The Three Mountain Alliance, Natural Area Reserves System, and Volcano Art Center invite the public to receptions that celebrate the winners of the juried Hawaii Nei 2010 art competition.

Two receptions—one for the youth category and the other for adults—will be held on Saturday, June 12, 2010 at the Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

The reception for school age contestants will take place from 3:00 to 4:00 pm with the award ceremony at 3:30 pm. The reception for contestants over the age of 18 years will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm with the award ceremony at 5:30 pm.

To qualify for inclusion in the Hawaii Nei 2010 exhibit, each original piece featured only native plants and animals found from the reef to the mountain tops of Hawaii Island.

Last year’s inaugural Hawaii Nei 2009 art competition was the first to celebrate the island’s native species. To the delight of its cosponsors, artists soundly embraced the contest, submitting 140 high-quality entries.

Visitors to the Volcano Art Center Gallery can view artwork of Hawaii Nei 2010 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily from June 12 through July 26, 2010. Selected artwork will also hang in the Grove Gallery on Hilo’s bayfront and at the Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani campus.

For more information, visit www.volcanoartcenter.org or call (808) 967-7565. Park entrance fees may apply.